A third of Bihar families survive on Rs 200 or less a day, caste survey reveals
Patna, Nov 7: More than a third of families in Bihar are making do with an income of Rs 200 or less a day or a maximum monthly earnings of Rs 6,000, while the percentage of SC-ST families living on similar income is nearly 43, according to the Caste Survey report tabled in the state assembly on Tuesday.
According to the report, the state is home to about 2.97 crore families out of which more than 94 lakh (34.13 per cent) live on an income of Rs 6,000 or less a month.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary who tabled the report said the literacy rate has risen from 69.8 per cent as per the 2011 census to 79.8 per cent.
The percentage of households who live on less than Rs 6000 a month or less than Rs 200 a day among the Scheduled tribe households (42.91 per cent) was almost the same as among scheduled caste households (42.78 per cent).
Chaudhary tabled the detailed report, preliminary findings of which were made public on October 2, in presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, among others.
Chaudhary termed the exercise as "historic" and vouched for the figures being "authentic", denying allegations levelled by the opposition BJP that numbers had been "manipulated" to politically suit the ruling Mahagathbandhan coalition.
"We must remember that a rise in the population percentage of a caste does not amount to an achievement. Similarly, a fall in the percentage does not mean a loss," said the minister, who also voiced displeasure over litigations trying to challenge the survey on various grounds, even though the Supreme Court had found the exercise to be "perfectly valid".
He also took the occasion to recall that the exercise followed the Centre's reluctance to undertake a caste survey, notwithstanding two unanimous resolutions passed by the legislature to press the demand and an in-person request made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by an all-party delegation led by the chief minister.
The state has also improved its sex ratio from 918 to 953 women per 1,000 men, said the minister.
The report has also come out with several other important findings like more than 50 lakh people of Bihar are living outside the state in search of livelihood or better education opportunities.
Those earning a living in other states numbered around 46 lakh, while another 2.17 lakh have found greener pastures abroad. Those pursuing studies in other states numbered about 5.52 lakh while about 27,000 were doing the same in foreign countries.
He also said that findings of the survey indicated many positives, like an improved literacy rate, which rose from 69.8 per cent as per the 2011 census to 79.8 per cent, with "a relatively bigger jump among females".
The preliminary findings had established that OBCs and EBCs constituted more than 60 per cent of the state's total population while the upper castes accounted for about 10 per cent.
The report showed that more than 25 per cent of the upper castes earn Rs 6000 or less a month.
The most well-off Hindu upper caste were the numerically minuscule Kayasthas as only 13.83 per cent of families from the largely urbanised community live on such an income.
The same ratio is surprisingly high for the Bhumihars (27.58), believed to be the biggest land-owning caste of Bihar, who dominated the state's politics until the Mandal wave of the 1990s threw up a new power structure.
The preliminary findings had said that Yadavs, who have been the most dominant OBC group, accounted for 14 per cent of the total population, retaining their status as the single most populous community since the 1931 census when a headcount of different social segments was last held.
This had led to allegations from Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the figure was "inflated", made under pressure from Yadav's father Lalu Prasad, a former chief minister of the state who heads the RJD, the largest constituent of the ruling alliance in the state.
The report revealed that despite their political ascendance, more than 35 per cent of Yadavs have a monthly income ceiling of Rs 6000.
Among the Kurmis, the caste to which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar belongs, nearly 30 per cent of people earn a similar amount.
The survey also took into account the caste divisions among Muslims, who together accounted for more than 17 per cent of the state's population. It said that 17.61 per cent of the Sayyads, who claim descent from the family of the Prophet, earn Rs 6000 per month or less.
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Shobha Karandlaje urges Governor to withhold assent to Karnataka hate speech bill
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje on Friday urged Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to withhold assent to the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, terming the Bill "vague, overbroad, and susceptible to misuse".
She also requested him to reserve the Bill for the consideration of President Droupadi Murmu under Article 200 of the Constitution of India, in the larger interest of constitutional governance, democratic freedoms, and the rule of law.
The bill, passed by both houses of the legislature, will be sent to the Governor for his assent.
Taking to social media 'X', the minister said, "The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill 2025 hands the State sweeping authority to silence opposition voices, restrain the media, and intimidate the citizens who defend Karnataka's land, language, and Dharma. This isn't a hate speech prevention bill, it's rather a bill that prevents the right to speech." "We will not let Congress turn the law into a tool to choke free speech and democratic dissent," she added.
In a letter to the governor, Karandlaje said the objective of the Bill is to address hate speech and hate crimes. However, upon careful examination, it becomes evident that the Bill, in its present form, establishes a "State-controlled mechanism" for monitoring, assessing, and penalising speech, rather than narrowly addressing expression that poses a clear and imminent threat to public order.
"The structure of the Bill enables executive authorities to determine the permissibility of expression, thereby transforming the law into a tool capable of suppressing voices critical of the government. Such an approach undermines the constitutional guarantee of democratic dissent and free expression," she said.
Citing reference of article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India that guarantees freedom of speech and expression to every citizen, she said, "The Bill departs from these constitutional limits by employing broad, vague, and subjective expressions such as "disharmony," "ill-will," and "prejudicial interest," which are not precisely defined. These terms confer excessive discretion on the Executive, enabling arbitrary and selective enforcement, which is inconsistent with constitutional safeguards."
She said the constitutional infirmities of the present Bill must be examined in light of the Supreme Court's judgment in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, (2015), wherein the Court held that any law regulating speech must be clear, narrowly tailored and free from vagueness.
The minister alleged that the Bill further authorises executive authorities and law-enforcement agencies to assess and act upon speech without adequate judicial oversight. Penal consequences are linked to executive assessment, thereby concentrating investigative and adjudicatory functions within the Executive.
"Such an arrangement erodes procedural safeguards and is inconsistent with constitutional principles governing the protection of fundamental rights," she alleged.
Karandlaje also pointed out the potential impact of the Bill on "historically marginalised" and "constitutionally protected" voices.
"The vague and expansive language of the legislation is capable of being invoked to silence Kannada language activists, women's organisations, representatives of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, minorities, journalists, student groups, and civil society organisations that raise issues of governance, social justice, or administrative accountability," she said.
Instead of empowering vulnerable communities, according to the minister, the Bill risks becoming an instrument to deter them from articulating grievances and participating meaningfully in public discourse, thereby defeating the very constitutional promise of equality, dignity, and inclusive democracy.
The minister alleged that the cumulative effect of the Bill is likely to create a "pervasive chilling effect" on public discourse, which is incompatible with democratic governance.
Pointing out that the Bill directly impacts fundamental rights guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution, she said, "In view of the serious constitutional questions it raises, this is a fit case for the exercise of constitutional discretion under Article 200. Reserving the Bill for the consideration of the President would enable a broader constitutional examination of its implications for civil liberties and the federal constitutional balance."
