Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday hailed the Union government’s decision to conduct a caste census, calling it a historic milestone in the country’s journey towards social justice that will help in equitable distribution of resources.

The Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a “transparent” manner.  Addressing a press conference here, Shinde said, “The caste census will usher in a new era of social justice by enabling accurate policy-making based on the actual demographic data of different castes.”