10-31-2006, 06:14 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>It's official, OBCs 41%, not 52 %: Survey </b>
Rajeev Ranjan Roy | New Delhi
Amid the raging controversy over the number of other backward classes in India, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on Tuesday officially put the OBC population at 41.1 per cent.
The Pioneer had first carried the story on September 14, stating that the findings of the 61st round survey of NSSO for 2004-05 have estimated OBC population to be more than 40 per cent.
Though there is only a slight variation in the population of scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) from 19.6 and 8.9 per cent in 1999-2000 respectively to 19.7 and 8.4 per cent in 2004-05, there is a marked increase in the population of OBCs in the country. Yet the figure is far from the 52 per cent quoted by the BP Mandal Commission report.
The States and union territories where OBCs account for over 50 per cent of the total population are Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Manipur, and Uttar Pradesh with respective shares in percentage estimated to be 76.5, 73.5, 61.6, 60.2, 59.4 and 53.
In the rural areas, the NSSO survey puts the OBC population at 43 per cent, while that of SCs and STs at 21 and 10 per cent respectively. In the urban areas, OBCs account for 36 per cent, followed by SCs at 15 per cent and STs at 3 per cent only.
According to NSSO officials, the findings are based on the survey spread over 7,999 villages and 4,602 urban blocks covering 79,306 households in the rural areas and 45,374 households in the urban areas.
The number of sample households for the social groups of ST, SC, OBC and others were 12,694, 13,929, 30,116, 22,502 respectively in the rural areas and 3,509, 6,355, 16,232, and 19,257 respectively in the urban areas.
"The findings of NSSO survey are quite authentic and close to the realities. The methodologies adopted in conducting the surveys are so scientifically designed that the findings have to be actual and realistic. Our estimates are unbiased," NSSO director general Vishnu Kumar said.
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Even this is without census.
Rajeev Ranjan Roy | New Delhi
Amid the raging controversy over the number of other backward classes in India, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on Tuesday officially put the OBC population at 41.1 per cent.
The Pioneer had first carried the story on September 14, stating that the findings of the 61st round survey of NSSO for 2004-05 have estimated OBC population to be more than 40 per cent.
Though there is only a slight variation in the population of scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) from 19.6 and 8.9 per cent in 1999-2000 respectively to 19.7 and 8.4 per cent in 2004-05, there is a marked increase in the population of OBCs in the country. Yet the figure is far from the 52 per cent quoted by the BP Mandal Commission report.
The States and union territories where OBCs account for over 50 per cent of the total population are Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Manipur, and Uttar Pradesh with respective shares in percentage estimated to be 76.5, 73.5, 61.6, 60.2, 59.4 and 53.
In the rural areas, the NSSO survey puts the OBC population at 43 per cent, while that of SCs and STs at 21 and 10 per cent respectively. In the urban areas, OBCs account for 36 per cent, followed by SCs at 15 per cent and STs at 3 per cent only.
According to NSSO officials, the findings are based on the survey spread over 7,999 villages and 4,602 urban blocks covering 79,306 households in the rural areas and 45,374 households in the urban areas.
The number of sample households for the social groups of ST, SC, OBC and others were 12,694, 13,929, 30,116, 22,502 respectively in the rural areas and 3,509, 6,355, 16,232, and 19,257 respectively in the urban areas.
"The findings of NSSO survey are quite authentic and close to the realities. The methodologies adopted in conducting the surveys are so scientifically designed that the findings have to be actual and realistic. Our estimates are unbiased," NSSO director general Vishnu Kumar said.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Even this is without census.