The data had been sought by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment claiming that the actual caste-wise data was required for implementing the mandate of the Mandal Commission with regard to backward castes.

"We have a certain time schedule. We have set in motion the process for the conduct of the Census, which is the world's biggest administrative exercise. We can't wait", says Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, M Vijayanunni.

But with the communal cauldron aboil, the government is obviously taking no chances. The Home Ministry has taken a view that a headcount based on caste could open up Pandora's Box, and has decided toquietly shelve a decision.

As it is the first reports in the media that the caste-wise data would be introduced in the census, had led to volleys of protest from both sides of the spectrum.

One set of demographers and social scientists felt this would once again raise contentious issues of the size of various castes, and that it goes against the ethos of the Indian Constitution which exhorts a casteless society.

"As far back as the 1951 Census, Nehru had voiced his opposition to the inclusion of caste. When the attempt is to wipe out castes, why reinforce such categorisation?", said noted demographer, Ashish Bose.

This view is seconded by B K Roy Burman, Deputy Registrar-General in the census organisation from 1961 to 1974, who is convinced that for getting an insight into social processes in India, the old type of census enumeration is not needed and not even possible.

"Even the processing of individual SC and ST data has become time-consuming and almost unmanageable", according to Roy Burman. Forthe 1981 Census, no all India Volume, giving data by individual scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, was published. For the 1991 Census, a volume is yet to be published. I am not sure that all the contemplated tables in respect of individual SC/ST will be available before the advent of the 21st century. If caste and community enumeration takes place in 2001, perhaps it will take another two decades to get the processed information", Roy Burman wrote in a recent article.

The opposite viewpoint, urging the inclusion of caste to obtain the exact caste-breakup, is that it will give a realistic reflection of the caste configuration in modern-day India.

According to requirements of the Indian Constitution, basic data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is enumerated in every Census, but no mention is made of the innumerable backward castes. The problem that arises is one of numbers. The Anthropological Survey of India has identified over 68,000 castes, sub-castes and jatis in their "People ofIndia" study. It would be next to impossible for the enumerator to identify the respondents under so many different categories, says Vijayanunni.

A decision on including caste data, may yet be taken, if and when the proposal makes the rounds of the Home Ministry, the security agencies, the Welfare Ministry and finally, the Cabinet. But with time running out and the government's obvious reluctance to stir up a hornet's nest, the issue looks set for the backburner.