India, Aug. 18 -- With the publication of the self-enumeration schedule for the 2027 census, what the gazette notification suggested is now confirmed. The census, while it will count sub-castes other than Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), will not count Other Backward Classes (OBCs) separately. Deja vu. For all practical purposes, it is the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) all over again. The end result, thanks to the multiplicity of sub-caste names and their fluid categorisation into broader social groups, is unlikely to generate data that neatly disaggregates India's sub-castes along the lines of administrative policy on affirmative action in the country. What is one to make of this development?

The 2027 census wa...