INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 9th AUG 2026

Summary of Important News Items Editorials-426

INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 9th AUG 2026.

(for reading Indian Express News items from 1 to 425 please visit –

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1. Caste Census to Use Open-Ended Self-Identification

The Registrar General of India has decided that the forthcoming caste census will use an open-ended question, with enumerators recording the caste stated by each respondent verbatim rather than selecting from a predefined list. The government argues that this prevents the state from becoming an arbiter of caste identity and avoids imposing administrative classifications on citizens. However, the decision revives concerns from the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census, which produced nearly 46.7 lakh distinct caste names because of spelling variations, sub-castes and self-identification, making standardisation extremely difficult. A drop-down system could improve comparability but might entrench official caste categories or wrongly classify communities. The core policy dilemma is therefore between self-identification and statistical usability. The gist is that conducting a caste census is easier than converting raw responses into credible data. Its usefulness for reservation, welfare and social policy will ultimately depend on transparent coding, verification methodology and standardisation after enumeration.

2. Jharkhand Student Protest: Recruitment Delays Become a Governance Crisis