Bihar government releases caste survey data; OBCs, EBCs account for 63 per cent of population

The Bihar government revealed caste survey statistics on October 2, with the results having implications for the Lok Sabha elections next year, revealing that Other Backward Caste (OBC) and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) account for 63 per cent of the state's population.  

The report of Bihar's caste-based survey was unveiled at a news conference in the state capital.

"The extremely backward class is 36.01 per cent, the general category is 15.52 per cent, and the Other Backward Caste (OBC) is 27 per cent," Additional Chief Secretary Vivek Kumar Singh stated.

Also Read: PM Modi pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi, highlights Bapu’s global impact

According to the data, the Scheduled Castes account for 19.65 per cent of the state's population, while the Scheduled Tribes account for 1.68 per cent.

According to the census, Hindus make up 81.99 per cent of the population, Muslims 17.7 per cent, Christians 0.05 per cent, Sikhs 0.01 per cent, Buddhists 0.08 per cent, and others 0.12 per cent.  

According to the data, the Yadavs, the OBC group to whom Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, are the most numerous and account for 14.27 per cent of the state's population.  

According to the caste survey, the Kushwaha and Kurmi groups account for 4.27 per cent and 2.87 per cent of the population, respectively.  Nitish Kumar, the state's chief minister, hails from the Kurmi community.    

Bihar has a population of around 13 crore people.