Bihar Caste Census Report 2023: 36.01% Extremely Backward Class, 27.13% Other Backward Class, 19.65% Scheduled Caste, 14% Yadavs, General 15.52%

The recent caste survey in Bihar unveils noteworthy demographic insights: 36.01% belonging to the Extremely Backward Class, 27.13% to the Other Backward Class, 19.65% identified as Scheduled Caste, 14% as Yadavs, and 3% as Musahars.

The Bihar government has recently published the findings of its caste survey, offering insights into the demographic composition of the state. Although no in-depth analysis has been conducted as of now, the survey presents valuable data regarding the distribution of castes in Bihar.

Below are the primary discoveries from the caste survey conducted in Bihar:

1. OBCs and EBCs Dominate: Extremely Backward Class (EBC) comprises 36.01% of the population. Other Backward Class (OBC) constitutes 27.13% of the population.
2. Scheduled Castes and Tribes: Scheduled Caste (SC) population stands at 19.65%. Scheduled Tribe (ST) population is 1.68%.
3. General Caste and Yadavs: General Caste population is 15.52%. Yadavs represent 14% of the population.
4. Religious Composition: Hindus make up 82% of the population. Muslims account for 17.71%.

Additional Insights:

The survey also provides insights into specific caste groups:

6. Yadavs, Kushwahas, and Kurmis: Among OBCs, Yadavs constitute 14.26%. Kushwaha and Kurmi castes make up 4.27% and 2.87%, respectively.
7. Large-Scale Data Collection: The caste survey encompassed 17 socio-economic indicators, including caste. It was conducted in three phases, involving approximately 2.64 lakh enumerators documenting data from 29 million registered households. A total of 214 castes were identified and assigned individual codes.
8. Implications for Reservations: The survey’s findings may open the door to challenging the 50% ceiling on reservations in the state.
9. Government Initiatives: The Bihar government launched the two-phase caste survey in January, recording both economic status and caste data for around 12.70 crore people in the state.
10. Comparison with Previous Data: The Union Government had conducted a caste survey in 2011 (SECC-2011), but the data was never made public.