Bhubaneswar, Jan 16 (PTI) Several organisations, including opposition BJD, on Thursday submitted memoranda to the parliamentary committee on welfare of other backward classes (OBCs) demanding a caste-based census in Odisha for proper wellbeing of the community.
The organisations met committee chairperson Ganesh Singh here.
The BJD delegation, which was led by senior leaders and former ministers, presented a comprehensive memorandum requesting the committee to recommend a OBC caste census and include the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) of Odisha in the national OBC list.
The BJD delegation stressed on the need for a caste census to bridge the data gap in understanding the socio-economic status of various caste groups across the country.
They pointed out that absence of detailed caste-related data from the socio-economic and caste census (SECC) 2011 has hampered the formulation of targeted policies that could address the specific needs of marginalised communities.
The delegation said a caste census would provide invaluable data on household structures, income sources, educational attainment, and employment status across different caste groups, which is essential for informed policymaking and equitable resource allocation.
Highlighting the socio-economic disadvantages faced by the SEBC community in Odisha, the BJD leaders called for their inclusion in the national OBC list. This inclusion, they argued, would ensure that the SEBCs receive necessary benefits and support to uplift their socio-economic status.
The BJD leaders who met Singh included ex-minister Pratap Jena, eight-time MLA RP Swain, MLAs Arun Kumar Sahoo, Dhruva Sahoo, Pradeep Sahoo, Susant Rout, Ananta Narayan Jena, Shouvik Biswal, Prashant Behera, Sarada Prasanna Jena and Dr. Priyabrata Majhi, media coordinator.
Rabi Behera, chairman, OBC Forum, Odisha, also met the committee and submitted a six-point demand charter like 27 per cent reservation for OBC in education and employment, caste census among others.