Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Anbumani Urges Centre to Include OBC Lists in Census Software
India is collecting information about people’s castes in a national census.
Anbumani Ramadoss wants the computer system to include official lists of Other Backward Classes.
He says workers should choose a caste from a dropdown menu instead of typing it freely.
He believes this would make the information more accurate.
Anbumani said the last census covering everyone’s caste took place in 1931.
The current caste-counting process began in some Himalayan border states on September 1.
Tamil Nadu is expected to start its population counting in February.
Government officials had reportedly considered adding the lists but did not include them in the software.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the Centre to include official OBC lists in caste census software.
He called for a pre-defined dropdown system instead of manually entering respondents’ caste names.
Anbumani said India’s last full-population caste census was conducted in 1931.
Population enumeration with caste details began on September 1 in Himalayan border states, while Tamil Nadu is scheduled to begin in February.
He said government officials’ explanation for excluding central and state OBC lists was weak and unacceptable.
- Who
- PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the Union government to change the caste census software.
- What
- He called for central and state OBC lists to be added through a pre-defined dropdown system.
- When
- Population enumeration with caste details began on September 1 in Himalayan border states; Tamil Nadu is scheduled to begin in February.
- Where
- The exercise is taking place across India, with operations progressing in Himalayan border states and Tamil Nadu scheduled to participate.
- Why
- Anbumani said a dropdown system would improve accuracy and criticized the government’s explanation for excluding official OBC lists.
Anbumani Ramadoss and supporters
Union government position
Including OBC lists
Anbumani Ramadoss and supporters
Anbumani says official central and state OBC lists should be built into the software to support accurate data collection.
Union government position
Government officials have explained why the lists were not incorporated, though the article does not give the full details of that explanation.
Data-entry method
Anbumani Ramadoss and supporters
Anbumani wants enumerators to use a pre-defined dropdown list rather than manually entering caste names.
Union government position
The current software leaves a blank field for enumerators to record the caste name given by each respondent.
Assessment of the decision
Anbumani Ramadoss and supporters
Anbumani describes the government’s explanation as weak, unacceptable and insufficiently justified.
Union government position
The Union government has defended the exclusion through an explanation reported by officials; officials had also reportedly considered integrating the lists.
- Demand
- Add official central and state OBC lists to the census software.
- Proposed system
- A pre-defined dropdown menu for selecting caste names.
- Current system
- Enumerators can manually enter the caste name provided by a respondent.
- Last full caste census
- 1931, according to Anbumani Ramadoss.
- Current enumeration
- Population enumeration with caste details began on September 1 in Himalayan border states.
- Tamil Nadu schedule
- The state is scheduled to begin the exercise in February.
- Political support
- Anbumani said the Indian National Congress later adopted the same objection.