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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh has announced the removal of the caste column from admission forms in state schools. The move aims to prevent children from being defined by their caste at an early age.

Starting from the next academic session, school admission forms in Himachal Pradesh will no longer include a caste column. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed officials on Wednesday to remove this field. The government states that the objective is to stop children from being identified by caste at a young age and to foster a spirit of equality and brotherhood within schools.

The Chief Minister issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes Welfare Board. He stated that the government is working towards eliminating caste-based discrimination in society and emphasized that no sense of inferiority based on caste should arise among children at the school level.

No Obstacles in Accessing Government Scheme Benefits

Despite the removal of the caste column, students belonging to Scheduled Castes and other eligible categories will continue to receive the benefits of government schemes and facilities. If necessary, students will be able to provide caste-related information through their parents or guardians. The government has clarified that removing the caste column from admission forms does not mean eligible students will be excluded from government schemes; the necessary information required to extend these benefits will remain available.

Education Department to Formulate a Policy

Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar stated that the Education Department would soon formulate a policy to implement this decision. The policy will ensure that no child eligible for government schemes or welfare measures for backward classes is deprived of essential facilities. Once the system is implemented, changes will be made to school admission forms and related records. Meanwhile, arrangements will be made to provide caste-related information in cases where it is required for government schemes or other administrative purposes.

Mention of Other Schemes

The Chief Minister also spoke about providing education loans of up to ₹20 lakh at an interest rate of one percent to meritorious students for higher education. The government’s objective is to ensure that students’ education is not interrupted due to financial constraints. Additionally, during the meeting, the Chief Minister provided information on ongoing welfare schemes for the Scheduled Caste community. He also mentioned the Rajiv Gandhi Startup Self-Employment Scheme. Furthermore, the Chief Minister announced that the state government is set to implement the ‘Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar’ scheme for extremely poor families.