Kolkata, April 30 -- Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's decision to include caste data in the upcoming census, calling it a step towards uplifting "downtrodden people".

"...We welcome this decision. From the beginning, Congress was against the caste census, but for the last 5-10 years, they have started shouting for this caste based census. The caste census will help to design the future policies of the government in favour of the downtrodden people," he told ANI.

Reacting to the development, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census, calling it a long-standing demand that will help design targeted development schemes a...