Congress announces all-India caste survey ahead of Lok Sabha polls

On Saturday, hours before the Election Commission of India announced Lok Sabha poll schedules, the Congress party unveiled a series of promises aimed at addressing key socioeconomic challenges and inequalities that exist in urban and rural India.

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge detailed the Congress party's idea of conducting a nationwide caste census, known as "Ginati Karo," to evaluate the socio-economic and political position of every community. "A comprehensive caste census survey will be conducted, and a constitutional amendment will be made to raise the 50% cap on reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCS," Kharge said.

He made special mention of two guarentees: "Shramik Nyay," which centres on the well-being of labour classes, and "Hissedaryi Nyay," which strives to offer advantages to communities based on their population.

Under "Shramik Nyay," the party pledges to raise daily wages under the rural employment guarantee scheme to Rs 400 per day, benefiting numerous workers nationwide. It also aims to introduce an urban employment guarantee scheme, alongside advocating for stricter enforcement of pro-labour laws and a reassessment of anti-labor legislation enacted by the current government. The latter entails removing the 50% cap on reservations to accommodate more communities and safeguarding the rights of Adivasis over natural resources.

“The labour codes appear to prioritise the interests of industries and businesses over those of the workers. The BJP government should have engaged in discussions with labour unions, business groups, and relevant stakeholders before implementing the laws,” Kharge added.