AFTER being compelled to forego the conduct of Census 2021 due to Covid-19, the Modi Government now plans to begin the overdue exercise early next year. The arduous process is likely to be completed by 2026.
While the modalities of the mammoth exercise, including inclusion of castes, are still being worked out, it will be the first enumeration of India’s population and its socio-economic indicators that will use the technological resources of Digital India, reliable sources in the Government indicated.
The outcome of the new census would enable the process of delimitation of constituencies of the Lok Sabha, due after 2026, and 33 per cent reservation for women in Central and state legislatures, mandated by the Government’s historic legislation last year.
The upcoming census will be India’s first digital census, a move that promises to revolutionise data collection. By allowing citizens to self-enumerate via a dedicated portal, the process aims to be more efficient and inclusive.
However, the transition to a digital format also presents challenges, particularly in ensuring that all segments of the population, including those in remote and underserved areas, are accurately counted. The Government is making all efforts to ensure that nobody is left out. The census exercise also has implications for the National Population Register (NPR) update, which is to be done alongside. The NPR is a critical tool for identifying and documenting residents, and its update is essential for ensuring the accuracy of the census data.
Welcome development
With the exception of 2021, census has been carried out in India every ten years without interruption and questions about the delay in resuming the process were raised by the Opposition after the pandemic abated. That the census is finally going to happen after an inordinate delay is a welcome development. The census provides a treasure trove of data about several social and economic indicators in addition to the headcount of India’s vast and varied population.
Faster dissemination
The use of digital electronic mode in collection, collation and analyses will lead to faster dissemination of data and compensate for some of the delay in conducting the exercise. But the upcoming census will surely be more controversial than the earlier exercises in the midst of increased political polarisation. One reason for this is the now widespread demand that the census also enumerate other castes along with Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) on a sub-caste basis.
Another contentious issue is related to the link between the National Population Register, National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act, especially in West Bengal and Assam. It becomes incumbent upon the Centre to build a consensus on these issues so that the long-overdue census process is not hijacked.
