Caste census as per members' suggestions: Pranab

New Delhi, Aug 11 (PTI) With members voicing concerns over
the format of caste census, the Indian government on Thursday
assured the Lok Sabha that the exercise would be carried out
as per the suggestions made by members.
"There have been problems at the implementation level.
They will be sorted out. We will look into it so that it is
implemented in the same format (as suggested by NDA convenor
Sharad Yadav)," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
Admitting problems in the implementation of the caste
census, Mukherjee assured members that government would
address the shortcomings.
He said the format suggested by Yadav had been forwarded
to the Home Ministry and the government would look into it to
ensure that it is implemented in the same format.
As soon as the House met for the day, Yadav raised the
issue of caste census accusing the government of going back on
its word on carrying out the exercise.
"We had decided unanimously to conduct the caste census,
but the government has divided it into three parts -- one to
be carried out by the state government, by the Rural
Development Ministry and by the Urban Development Ministry,"
the JD(U) chief said.
He said it was the mandate of the Census Commissioner to
carry out the caste census and trifurcation of the entire
exercise would lead nowhere.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said he failed
to understand how a decision taken by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee was not
implemented in the desired manner.
BJP deputy leader Gopinath Munde said it was not the
mandate of the state government to carry out a caste census.
"One thing was promised to the Lok Sabha and a completely
different thing was being implemented," he said, adding the
exercise being undertaken could not be called as a caste
census.
BSP leader Dara Singh Chauhan said the caste system was a
reality and a census would only help in better allocation of
resources in the endeavour to bring in social change.