Odisha under pressure to conduct caste census after Bihar releases its report

Following the release of the Bihar government's caste-based survey report, pressure has been building on the Odisha government to conduct a caste-based census in the state.

The OSCBC (Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes) survey, which was conducted from May 1 to July 10, was rejected by the opposition.

Former Union minister Srikant Jena stated: "The government gave the panel the mandate to conduct a survey on the socioeconomic circumstances of the lower classes. It was not requested by the government to conduct a caste census. The commission conducted a survey, but it wasn't a caste census; its sole purpose was to determine the social and educational circumstances of those from lower socioeconomic classes. The notification from the government of Odisha makes this very clear. Without a caste census, no one can draw any conclusions about the demographics of the OBC/SEBC (Socially and Economically Backward Classes) communities in the state.

No census was conducted to determine the precise population of the socially and educationally underprivileged strata, according to Jena. It is necessary to carry out a rigorous practice of caste-based population counting. We are calling for a caste-based census similar to the one used in Bihar. The report of the commission ought to be made public by the government of Odisha.

Jena also informed the commission in writing to this effect. Although the commission delivered the findings to the government, it has not yet been made public.

Sarat Pattnayak, head of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), stated: "The state government ought to carry out a caste-based census. Once we create the state's new government, we will carry out the procedure if the Naveen Patnaik administration doesn't. The survey ought to be carried out similarly to Bihar. We require a thorough caste census.

Debi Prasad Mishra, a lawmaker for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), stated: "The commission's report is being evaluated. The government would act in the OBC's and others' best interests. It is a government run by and for the people.

In a hybrid mode, the OSCBC survey required the family head to visit the anganwadi centers and submit data on individual family members.

According to sources, 1.94 crore of Odisha's population are members of the OBC. Approximately 39.31% of the state's population is made up of OBCs. 98.58 lakh men and 96 lakh women make up the 1.94 crore population. In addition, 27,239 are transgender. Most of their ailments are not good.

Student doctor kills himself

A second-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student was discovered hanged in her residence on Friday.

Moubani Das has been named as the deceased. She is a native of Bengal's Hooghly district's Haripal village.

The deceased's cellphone was taken by the police, who also transported the body for an autopsy. An unnatural death case was reported to the neighborhood police department. "Research is being conducted. Her exact cause of death has not yet been determined, according to the authorities.

Inquiries by the police into Moubani's romantic relationships are ongoing. "Our daughter died. Only a few hours before, she had a phone conversation with her mother. However, we still don't know what drove her to make such a drastic decision, according to Moubani's father.