Census Clarification: Athawale Advocates for Neo-Buddhists in Maharashtra

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has called for the inclusion of neo-Buddhists from the Scheduled Castes in Maharashtra to be accurately categorized during the current Census operations. He emphasizes that while these individuals have converted to Buddhism, their caste should be acknowledged as Scheduled Caste to prevent undercounting.

Athawale made his appeal during a meeting with Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, arguing for specific instructions for the state government to properly implement this classification. The concern is that listing neo-Buddhists only under religion might mistakenly group them into the general category, impacting the Scheduled Caste population count.

Athawale highlighted that the majority converted during the landmark event initiated by Dr. B R Ambedkar in 1956 and were included in the SC category post a Constitutional amendment in 1990. Additional demands raised include housing reforms and land allocation for Dalits.