What happened
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ordered removal of the caste column from school admission forms starting from the next academic session. The stated aim is to eliminate caste-based discrimination and promote fraternity and equality in school admissions.
Himachal Pradesh’s accompanying clarification states that while the caste column will be removed from school admission forms, Scheduled Caste students must still provide caste details when they avail government schemes and benefits to ensure continued eligibility for welfare programmes.
The directive was issued while Sukhu chaired a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Caste Welfare Board.
Background and earlier position
School admission forms can include identity fields such as caste category for administrative processing. Keeping caste category visible at the point of education access can create risks of stigma and discriminatory behaviour by functionaries involved in admissions. At the same time, many welfare programmes rely on caste identity to verify eligibility for benefits.