Census Exercise

Census Exercise

News: The census exercise, which was originally scheduled to take place in 2021, has been further pushed to 2023- 24.

Why has it been postponed?
• Normally, before every Census, states are required to provide information on changes in the number of notified districts, villages, towns and other administrative units such as tehsils, talukas and police stations to the Registrar General of India (RGI).
• After this RGI freezes the administrative boundaries so that census tasks can begin.
• However, this time, RGI has extended the deadline for freezing administrative boundaries to December 31, 2022.
• Since the Census can only begin a few months after the administrative boundaries are frozen, the possibility of a Census in 2022 is ruled out.

More details about Census in India:
• Population Census is the total process of collecting, compiling, analysing and disseminating demographic, economic and social data pertaining, at a specific time, of all persons in a country or a well-defined part of a country.
• The first Non-Synchronous Census was conducted in India in 1872 during the reign of Governor-General Lord Mayo.
• The first Synchronous Census was taken under British rule on February 17, 1881, by C.Plowden (Census Commissioner of India).
• The decennial Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The population census is a Union subject under Article 246 of India Constitution. It is listed as serial number 69 of the seventh schedule of the constitution.

Census is conducted under which provisions?
• The Census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948.
• The information collected during the population census is considered to be confidential and is not even accessible to the courts of law.
• The law specifies penalties for both public and census officials for non-compliance or violation of any provision of the Act.

Importance of Census:
• The Indian Census is the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India. Researchers and Demographers use census data to analyze growth and trends of population and make projections.
• The data collected through the census is used for administration, planning and policy making as well as management and evaluation of various programmes by the Government.
• Census data is also used for demarcation of constituencies and allocation of representation to Parliament, State legislative assemblies and the local bodies.
• The census data is also important for business houses and industries for strengthening and planning their business for penetration into areas, which had hitherto remained, uncovered.
• Finance Commission provides grants to the states on the basis of population figures available from the Census data.

16th Census (2021) – Postponed
• It will be the first digital Census, also with a provision for self-enumeration.
• It is for the first time that information about households headed by a person from the Transgender Community and members living in the family will be collected.
• Earlier there was a column for males and female only.