Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 6 (ANI): Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stated that the census of India has informed all the states that the next census is going to be held in July.

He further added that during the census operation, all boundary changes for the creation of new revenue villages, panchayats, and blocks are suspended.

Speaking to the mediaperons on Tuesday, Odisha Minister Suresh Pujari said, 'This is not an initiation by the state government. The census of India has informed all the states that the next census is going to be held in July...When the census operation is on, all types of boundary changes for the creation of new revenue villages, panchayats, blocks, the process is suspended.'

Also, the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) has instructed all collectors, who will then pass it on to Tehsildars, to complete any pending boundary change procedures before the end of July.

'The Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) has informed all the collectors and through the collectors to all the Tehsildars to complete all the pending boundary change proceedings before the end of July so that the persons who are interested for boundary changes and for the creation of new revenue villages are not deprived of their rights because of the census operation,' Pujari said.

Earlier, on April 30, the government decided that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming census.

Briefing the media about the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that some states have done caste surveys and conducting a census is in the domain of the central government.

'Caste was not included in all the census operations conducted since independence. In 2010, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singhji had assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census would be considered in the cabinet. A group of ministers was formed to consider this subject. Most political parties recommended a caste census. Despite this, the Congress government decided to conduct only a survey of caste instead of a census. That survey is known as SECC,' Vaishnaw said.

The minister said that the Modi government had earlier introduced ten per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections without causing any stress on any section of the society. (ANI)