Champai Soren-led Jharkhand cabinet on Wednesday approved a caste survey with an eye on Assembly polls later this year.

Jharkhand became the fourth state after Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to do so.

In October 2023, Bihar released the findings of a year-long caste survey that provided the first detailed numbers on social composition in decades.

Andhra Pradesh began its caste census in January this year, sending out thousands of enumerators armed with lists of previously known caste groups to match with residents in the state.

In February, the Congress-ruled Telangana passed a resolution to conduct a “door-to-door” survey to gather comprehensive data on different caste groups within its borders.

Vandana Dadel, principal secretary of the Jharkhand cabinet secretariat, informed the media that the cabinet has given the nod for a caste survey which will be conducted under the supervision of the personnel department.

“The Jharkhand cabinet approved the inclusion of caste survey as the responsibility of the department of personnel, administrative reforms and official language in the first schedule of the Jharkhand Executive Rules-2000 (as amended from time to time),” said Dadel.