India to ask caste status in next census for first time in decades

What a garbage way to organize your society.

From a data analysis perspective, it doesn't really make sense not to ask for it if it's going to be affecting every aspect of a person's life. Knowing the implications of belonging to a particular caste in terms of life circumstances and statistical outcomes could be valuable.

That said, I don't trust a dictatorship to collect, analyze, and draw conclusions from demographic information fairly or responsibly.

Proponents say detailed demographic information is crucial for the targeted implementation of India's social justice programmes, including earmarking nearly half of all university seats and government jobs for socially disadvantaged communities.

some context: people of all the "lower" (sic) castes receive special privileges in the form of reservations for university and government jobs, as well as financial incentives to foster greater equity in society.

the purpose of such a census is to understand how best to administer such programs (rather than perpetuating the social ills of the caste system).