Latest news with #Census-2027
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Census is welcome – it has to be about more than stats
In the recent past, the Centre has taken several steps to fill the gaps in data availability in the country. For instance, it has conducted two rounds of household consumption expenditure surveys for 2022-23 and 2023-24 which provide granular data on household spending patterns, and also allow for the estimation of poverty and inequality in the country. The government has also announced that the revamped sample design of the labour force surveys will allow for the generation of monthly estimates of key labour market indicators, which will aid policymaking. On Wednesday, it took another step, announcing the dates for the much delayed Census. This is a welcome development. The Census 2021 had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has not been conducted since. This had meant that the last Census conducted provided estimates of India's population as of March 2011. Considering that timely and accurate data forms the basis of policy making, the continuing absence of the Census data has only hindered policymaking in the country. The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. As per a report in this paper, the household listing phase is likely to begin by March-April 2026, while the enumeration exercise will take place over 21 days in February 2027. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, 'the reference date for population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March, 2027'. For the UT of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of the first day of October, 2026. Alongside, the exercise will also involve the enumeration of castes. This will be the first time since 1931 that the Census will gather detailed data on caste beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. But, the announcement of the Census has also raised questions on the possibility of delimitation — the process of reconfiguring the Lok Sabha and state assembly seats — and the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament. In addition to providing population estimates, the Census also collects data on several household socio-economic indicators. This provides vital information on the changes in the country over the decades. Alongside, the Census data is also used in various surveys, and by both government agencies and private entities in the formulation of policies and strategies. It thus serves an invaluable purpose, aiding policy making in India.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Delimitation concerns will be discussed at an appropriate time: MHA
A day after it announced the schedule for conducting Census-2027, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday said the concerns of southern states about the delimitation exercise, which will take place on the basis of the census data, will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at an appropriate time. In a series of posts on 'X', the MHA said budget allocation has never been a constraint for conducting the census, as funds are always ensured by the government. The entire 2021 Census exercise was estimated to cost the government over ₹13,000 crore. The Budget for 2025–26 allocated ₹574.80 crore for census surveys and statistics / the Registrar General of India (RGI). The MHA did not explicitly state whether the census data could be available in time for a delimitation commission to decide on the number of seats in the Lok Sabha before the 2029 polls. However, the ministry alluded to Home Minister Amit Shah's earlier statements on the delimitation exercise. It stated that Shah has 'clarified on many occasions that in the delimitation exercise the concerns of southern states will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at an appropriate time'. The delimitation of constituencies for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies is to be carried out on the basis of the first Census after 2026. It will also be the basis for reserving a third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. Tamil Nadu, and other southern states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana, fear that the delimitation exercise, if conducted solely on the basis of population, would diminish their political representation in Parliament. Some of the southern states have demanded a freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats, based on the 1971 Census, for another 25 years. The provisional data for the 2011 Census was released on 31 March 2011, 25 days after its population enumeration phase ended, while the final data was released two years later on 30 April 2013. The MHA also defended the delay in holding the Census exercise. It said Census 2021 was to be conducted and all preparations were completed. However, due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country, the Census work was postponed. The aftershock of Covid-19 continued for quite some time, it said. The ministry said Covid-19 disrupted all sectors including education. It said around 3 million enumerators are needed for the Census. Enumerators, who are primary school teachers, are key persons for conducting the Census. Conducting the Census after Covid could have disrupted primary education immensely, the MHA said. The MHA also pointed out that countries which conducted the Census immediately after Covid-19 faced issues regarding the quality and coverage of Census data. It said the government has decided to commence the process of Census forthwith, which will complete on 1 March 2027 — the reference date for the Census. The Centre on Wednesday said Census-2027, with caste enumeration, will be undertaken in two phases across the country. It will be completed by 1 October 2026 in snow-bound and hilly areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and by 1 March 2027 in the rest of the country. The reference date for the headcount will be 12 am on 1 March 2027 for the rest of the country.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Census 2027 to start from October next yr; to be conducted in two phases
The Centre on Wednesday said that Census-2027 with caste enumeration would be undertaken in two phases across the country, from October 1, 2026 in snow-bound and hilly areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and from March 1, 2027 in the rest of the country. The reference date of people's headcount would be March 1, 2027, midnight for the entire country. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement on conducting Census 2027, which will also be the first digital Census, has come a little over a month after the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), on April 30, approved caste enumeration in the forthcoming population census. Caste data was enumerated the last time as part of the 1931 Census, and was collected as part of the Socio-Economic Caste Census in 2011 but the data was not released because of infirmities. The last Census was held 16 years ago in 2011. The 2021 Census was initially delayed because of the outbreak of Covid-19. In 2023, the UN Population Fund had said India was likely to have almost three million more people than China by the middle of that year. The Census will also have a bearing on the delimitation of the Lok Sabha seats and one-third reservation for women in directly elected legislatures. However, it is not clear whether the Census data will be available by the time the next Lok Sabha polls are announced. The provisional data for the 2011 Census was released on March 31, 2011, 25 days after its population enumeration phase ended, while the final data was released two years later on April 30, 2013. Some of the southern states have demanded a freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats, based on the 1971 Census, for another 25 years. The notification for the intent of conducting the population Census with these reference dates would be published in the official gazette "tentatively' on June 16, 2025 as per provision of Section 3 of Census Act 1948, it said. Officials said the second and final phase of the census would begin in February 2027 and conclude on March 1, 2027 (reference date). On December 24, 2019, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved conducting Census 2021 at a cost of ₹8,754.23 crore and updating of the National Population Register (NPR) at a cost of ₹3,941.35 crore. It was, however, unclear whether Census 2027 would include updating of the NPR. The entire 2021 Census exercise was estimated to cost the government over ₹13,000 crore. The Budget for 2025-26 allocated ₹574.80 crore for Census surveys and statistics/the Registrar General of India (RGI). In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, "There is really no reason to delay the Census that was due in 2021, for another 23 months. The Modi Government is capable only of generating headlines, not meeting deadlines." According to the government statement on December 24, 2019, the 2021 Census was to comprise 'House listing and Housing Census from April to September, 2020, and Population Enumeration from February 9 to February 28, 2021'. It said that the NPR would also be updated along with House listing and Housing Census except in Assam. As many as 3 million field functionaries were to conduct the exercise, up from 2.8 million in 2011. It had envisaged use of a mobile app for data collection and the central portal for monitoring purpose, and to ensure early release of Census data with improved quality. It had said that 2.4 crore man-days employment would be generated during the collection of the data. The Census process involves visiting each and every household and canvassing separate questionnaire for House listing and Housing Census & Population Enumeration. The enumerators are generally government teachers and appointed by the state governments. A government functionary said the budget was a minor issue and could be sorted out. According to Article 246 of the Constitution, Census was a subject listed at 69 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule. While some states had conducted surveys to enumerate castes, these surveys had varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a "political angle, creating doubts in society", the government had said on April 30. The Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990 provide the legal framework for conduct of Census.
