http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cabinet-likely-to-take-final-view-on-caste-census-today/articleshow/6521050.cms
Cabinet likely to take final view on caste census today
Rajeev Deshpande & Mahendra Kumar Singh, TNN, Sep 9, 2010, 01.28am IST
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on Thursday is set to take a final view on
enumeration of caste -- most probably as a separate headcount in
June-September 2011 -- while the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure
will review key infrastructure targets in terms of implementation,
expenditure and award of contracts.
The report of the group of ministers on a caste census outlines two
options -- enumerating caste as part of biometric data collection or a
separate headcount to be conducted from mid-2011. The biometric stage,
where iris and fingerprints will be recorded, begins in November 2010.
The biometric stage was initially preferred for the caste count with
officials expected to ask respondents what their caste was with an
option to not declare it as well. It was felt that separating
biometric and headcount stages would protect integrity of enumerating
population.
But protests by OBC leaders who felt social conditions could
intimidate backward castes from approaching camps outside their
localities led to the GoM considering another possibility. This option
proposes a separate headcount for caste enumeration which would be
done after the national population register -- linked to the headcount
-- is complete.
A group of eminent persons including former registrar general M
Vijayanunni, Justice M N Rao, Sukhdeo Thorat, Satish Deshpande and
Yogendra Yadav have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
expressing apprehensions over the move for a separate headcount, as
the June-September period concides with the summer and monsoon. They
have also objected to the Rs 2,000 crore price tag.
But the government argues that the NPR would be complete by then and
these households will be visited by caste enumerators. The fear of
population numbers being vitiated -- expressed by BJP and shared by
many in Congress -- would be addressed. Government is tilting in
favour of a separate caste headcount.
In the infrastructure review to be carried out by CCI, targets and
glitches are to be discussed threadbare. The ministry's targets are a
total road length of 3,670 km, tolling on 2,870 km and an expenditure
of Rs 35,680 crore of which Rs 25,155 crore is on central sector
projects.
The PM will review progress of infrastructure sectors in the
April-June quarter against monitorable targets fixed by Planning
Commission. The CCI is expected to discuss the Plan panel's report on
roads, railways, airports and power, according to sources.
Despite resistance from implementing ministries, the Plan panel in May
had set up a mechanism for quarterly monitoring to facilitate
corrective steps to expedite implementation.
In the first quarter, 508.93 km road was constructed against the
target of 764.91 km, 263.50 km of tolled highways was constructed
against targeted 809.27 km, railways laid 59 km of new lines against
the targeted 42 km and doubled 31 km against target of 34 km.
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