Latest news with #CensusAct1948
Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Population Census-2027 to be conducted in two phases
Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes. The reference date for Population Census - 2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March, 2027. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of the first day of October, 2026. The notification for intent of conducting Population Census with the above reference dates will be published in the official gazette tentatively on 16.06.2025, as per provision of section 3 of Census Act 1948. The Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases, namely i) Phase I House Listing (HLO) (1 April to 30 September 2010) and (ii) Phase II Population Enumeration (PE) (09 February to 28 February 2011) with reference date - 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2011, except for snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for which it was conducted during 11 to 30 September 2010 with reference date as 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2010.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Next Census to conclude by March 2027, says government
The next Census exercise, to be held after a long 16-year gap, will be finished by March 1, 2027, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Wednesday (June 4, 2025). This will be the first digital Census for India, and will include caste-based details as well. The census will be conducted in two phases by February 28, 2027, and the data will have a reference date of 12 a.m. on March 1, 2027. The government has, although, not yet notified when the exercise will begin. The notification of the Centre's intention to conduct the census, and the dates of the two phases will be 'published in the official gazette tentatively on June 16 as per provision of section 3 of the Census Act 1948.' For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date for the population count will be 12 a.m. on October 1, 2026. As per the constitutional mandate, the first census after 2026 can be used as the basis to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies. The next general election is expected to be held in 2029. India's census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990, and will be completed in two phases: first, the house listing and housing schedule; and then, the population enumeration. Both phases usually span a period of 11 months from April 1 to February 28 the following year. This time around, caste will be enumerated in the second phase. 'A significant addition to the training manual would be the enumeration of caste. Another drop box to record the castes is likely to be added next to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) tables, the only two categories counted so far,' a senior government official said. The Hindu's Editorials The Hindu's Daily Quiz Landslide in an army camp of which State led to the death of three soldiers? Chhattisgarh Jharkhand Sikkim Mizoram To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Census from March 2027
New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday announced that the census exercise will be held in two phases beginning October 1, 2026. The first phase will be held in hilly and snow-hit areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and other areas. The second phase covering other parts of the country will be held from March 1, 2027. It is expected to be held in a time span of three years, government sources said. More than a month after the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) approved caste enumeration in the forthcoming population census, the Centre said census exercise with caste enumeration will finally begin from March 1, 2027. The exercise will take place in two phases in states/UTs including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 'It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes. The reference date for Population Census – 2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March, 2027. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of the first day of October, 2026,' a press statement said. 'The notification for the intent of conducting the Population Census with the above reference dates will be published in the official gazette tentatively on June 16, 2025, as per provision of section 3 of Census Act 1948,' it said. 'The Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases, namely; Phase I – House Listing (HLO) (April 1 to 30 September 30, 2010) and Phase II – Population Enumeration (PE) (February 9 to February 28, 2011) with reference date – 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2011, except for snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for which it was conducted during 11 to 30 September 2010 with reference date as 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2010,' it said. During the announcement of the caste enumeration earlier on April 20, this year, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said, 'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Committee of Political Affairs has decided … that caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming Census. This demonstrates that a government is committed to the values and interests of a society and country.' The Centre's decision came while the Opposition – particularly Congress leader Rahul Gandhi – had upped its ante against the NDA-led government over the issue. Since the announcement of the Census exercise and its deferment owing to the Covid pandemic in 2020, the deadline for freezing jurisdictional boundaries has been extended multiple times.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Govt finally announces long- postponed census
The Union government said on Wednesday that the long-delayed census will be carried out in two phases before March 1 2027, announcing a crucial exercise that will enumerate caste for the first time since independence and likely become the base for landmark processes such as delimitation and women's reservation. A statement from the Union home ministry said the reference date – a cut off date when population of a country is usually declared as of a specific day or date –for the 2027 census will be March 1. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be October 1, 2026. 'It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes,' the statement said. The official headcount, and the houselisting process that precedes it, are expected to be completed by March 1, 2027 but it might take up to another three years for the numbers to be finalised and released, said an official aware of the matter. 'The process of census begins with the issuance of this notification,' said the official quoted above. In 2011, the last time the census was conducted, the entire process of houselisting and enumeration was completed before the reference date of March 1, 2011. The Census 2011 was conducted in two phases — Houselisting and Housing Census between 1st April 2010 to 30th September 2010 and Population Enumeration from 9th February to 28th February 2011. But this time, the census is expected to be conducted digitally and data collected through handheld devices, potentially trimming the time required for collating and sanitising data. The ministry further said that the notification for the intent of conducting the population census with these reference dates will be published in the official gazette, tentatively on June 16 as per section 3 of the Census Act 1948. The census forms an important node of policy making in India as it is the principal source of official socioeconomic and demographic data that forms the basis for government schemes, policies, and planning. But the 2027 census has assumed more importance because it is being held after a decade-and-a-half and will also officially confirm India's status as the world's most-populous nation. It will enumerate caste for the first time since the 1931 census, a politically explosive exercise that will have sweeping socioeconomic ramifications and possibly lead to an expansion of caste-based quotas in jobs and education, likely breaching the 50% mark mandated in a landmark 1992 Supreme Court judgment. The census might also be the basis for conducting the delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha seats, another controversial process that threatens to drive a wedge between northern and southern India, as well as potentially usher in the reservation of a third of all seats in national and state legislatures for women. After the notification for the census is issued on June 16, a key precondition will have to be first fulfilled – freezing of administrative boundaries, which is expected starting January 1, 2026. According to the officer cited above, once the notification is issued and the final date is decided, the first phase of the exercise is expected to begin as early as March or April 2026. The first phase involves house listing – wherein details of all buildings, permanent or temporary, are noted with their type, amenities, and assets. The National Population Register (NPR), a biometric database of all 'usual residents' in India, which is updated every five years, will be updated along with the census. This process is likely to be completed in six to eight months. The second phase - called population enumeration (PE), in which more detailed information on each individual residing in the country, Indian national or otherwise is to be noted along with their caste – is likely to be conducted around February 2027 and conclude before March 1, 2027. The home ministry statement said in 2011, the house listing process was done between April 1 and September 30, 2010, and the population enumeration was done between February 9 and 28, with the reference date of March 1, 2011. For the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the population enumeration was conducted during September 11 to 30, 2010 with the reference date as October 1, 2010. Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases in a similar manner with phase I during April-September 2020 and second phase in February 2021. 'All the preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed and field work was scheduled to begin in some states/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed,' the ministry statement added. A second officer aware of the exercise said, 'This is an exercise to count the numbers and put it out. The data that will come up is unlikely to lead to any policy shifts…or for inclusion or exclusion of any castes in any category'. 'The entire process will be completed in three years. There will be no blocs of castes to choose from. People will have to spell out their castes to the enumerators. The census form will not identify any caste as OBCs,' he added. The Congress said there was no reason to delay the exercise for another 23 months. 'The Modi government is capable only of generating headlines, not meeting deadlines,' said Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh on X. In April, the high-powered cabinet committee on political affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that caste will be a part of the decennial census. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) credited the government's social justice agenda but the Opposition said its sustained pressure forced the administration to buckle on a sensitive issue that was a key node of the 2024 general election campaign. Bihar, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have conducted caste surveys in the last three years, while Karnataka is mulling the release of data of a survey conducted in 2015. All states were ruled by non-BJP dispensations when the surveys were done. The census is the 16th such exercise since the British rule era. In March this year, the Union home ministry had informed a parliamentary standing committee that the preparatory activities for the decadal exercise have been completed. The first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly once every 10 years. It is the biggest source of information on demographic, socioeconomic and other parameters of the entire population of India. According to officials, a mobile app for collection of data and a census portal for management and monitoring of various census-related activities has already been developed. The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner had prepared around three dozen questions to be asked to the citizens. The questions include whether a family has a telephone, internet connection, mobile or smartphone, bicycle, scooter or motorcycle or moped and whether they own a car, jeep or a van. The citizens will be asked questions such as the kind of cereal they consume in the household, the main source of drinking water, the main source of lighting, access to latrine, type of latrine, wastewater outlet, availability of bathing facility, availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection, main fuel used for cooking and availability of radio, transistor and television. 'It's a positive development that the Census is finally going to start. My only concern is that since it is a caste-based Census, it should be carefully implemented. Population census should set up an expert committee to look into all the aspects related to castes,' said Sukhadeo Thorat, former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
At least 11 dead in stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB victory parade
At least 11 people have died while 24 people, including a six-year-old girl, are believed to be injured as thousands of fans gathered outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to celebrate the victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 championship, on Wednesday. The death toll is expected to go up. Sources told The Hindu that the injured persons were taken to Bowring hospital in Shivajinagar. It is learnt that some fans were injured as people gathered at the gates of the stadium where the cricket team was expected to turn up to celebrate the much-awaited victory. Before the team arrived at the stadium, they were felicitated by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar at the Vidhan Soudha. Census to be held from March 1, 2027; caste to be counted The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday that population census along with the enumeration of castes will be conducted in two phases and the reference date of the people's headcount will be 12 a.m. on March 1, 2027. India will be counting its people after a gap of 17 years and this will be the first digital Census. The last Census was held in 2011 and the subsequent exercise in 2021 was delayed indefinitely, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The notification for the intent of conducting the Census and the dates of the two phases will be 'published in the official gazette tentatively on June 16 as per provision of section 3 of the Census Act 1948'. On April 30, the Union Cabinet had decided to include caste enumeration as part of the next census exercise. The Home Ministry said that for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of October 1, 2026. The Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases. Phase I comprised House Listing (HLO) and was conducted from April 1 to 30 September 2010 and phase II known as the Population Enumeration was done from February 9- February 28, 2011. Justice Varma impeachment: Government reaches out to political parties, wants all on board Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday underlined the government's resolve to take all political parties on board in moving an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, saying corruption in the judiciary cannot be approached through a 'political prism'. He said the government wants the exercise aimed at axing Justice Varma, embroiled in a case of alleged corruption and indicted by a Supreme Court-appointed committee, to be a 'collaborative effort'. Mr. Rijiju told reporters that he has already initiated discussions with all political parties to bring the motion in Parliament's Monsoon session, starting from July 21, against the Allahabad High Court judge. He said the government wants all parties to 'jointly' move the motion to remove Justice Varma. Mr. Rijiju said he will reach out to smaller parties, while all major parties have already been informed about the plan to bring a motion of impeachment against Justice Varma. 'The government feels that the matter related to corruption is not one political party's agenda. It is a stand of all parties to fight against the menace of corruption, whether it is the judiciary or any other space,' he said. The Minister underlined that the government would like to take all political parties on board on the issue, as corruption in the judiciary cannot be approached through a 'political prism'. He said most parties will revert after discussing the issue internally. To a query, Mr. Rijiju said the decision on whether the motion will be brought in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha will be taken based on the business of each House. According to the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968, once a motion to remove a judge is admitted in any of the Houses, the speaker or the chairman, as the case may be, will constitute a three-member committee to investigate the grounds on which the removal (or, in popular term, impeachment) has been sought. The committee consists of the chief justice of India (CJI) or a Supreme Court judge, the chief justice of one of the 25 high courts and a 'distinguished jurist'. Mr. Rijiju said the present case is 'slightly different' as an in-house committee formed by then CJI Sanjiv Khanna has already submitted its report. 'So what is to be done in this matter, we will take a call,' he said. The Minister said the process has to be followed, but how to 'integrate the inquiry already conducted' needs to be decided. 'As per the rule, a committee has to be constituted and then the committee has to submit a report and the report will be tabled in the House and discussions will start to impeach. Here, a committee has already been constituted, not by Parliament. But it cannot be brushed aside' as it was constituted by the CJI, he said. Responding to questions that a committee has to be mandatorily formed under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, Mr. Rijiju said the speaker will take a decision in this regard. He said reconciling the report of the in-house panel and the one under law is a 'secondary matter'. The primary objective is to bring the impeachment motion. Mr. Rijiju hoped that the removal proceedings would be passed in the two Houses in the Monsoon session beginning July 21 and ending August 12. Monsoon session announced 47 days ahead to 'run away' from special session on Pahalgam: Congress The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the government has announced the start of the Monsoon session of Parliament 47 days before it is due in order to run away from the demand of the party and the INDIA bloc for an immediate special session to discuss the Pahalgam attack and the Centre's failure to bring the terrorists to justice. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said the Monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 21 to August 12. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has recommended the dates, he told reporters in New Delhi. In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, said normally the dates for a Parliament session are announced a few days in advance, but 'never have the dates been declared 47 days before a session is due'. 'This has been done solely to run away from the demand being made repeatedly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA parties for an immediate special session to discuss the brutal Pahalgam attacks and the failure to bring the terrorists who did the killings themselves to justice, the impacts of Operation Sindoor and its blatant politicisation, the revelations of the CDS in Singapore, the hyphenation of India and Pakistan, the embedding of China in the Pakistan Air Force, the continuous claims of President Trump on mediation, and the numerous failures of our foreign policy and diplomatic engagements,' he said in his post. 'The monsoon session will, however, still be dominated by these issues of supreme national importance. The PM has run away from a special session but will have to answer very tough questions six weeks from now,' the Congress leader said. 'Rajnath Singh's recommendation will be sent to the President for convening the session,' Mr. Rijiju said. The announcement by Mr. Rijiju comes against the backdrop of a demand for a special session by Opposition leaders to discuss Operation Sindoor. Punjab police arrest YouTuber for alleged espionage on behalf of Pakistan's ISI Punjab Police on Wednesday said its Special Operation Cell in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district had arrested a YouTube influencer on charges of spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the accused as Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal (41), a resident of Mahlan village in Rupnagar district. He was operating a YouTube channel titled JaanMahal Video, purportedly uploading travel and cooking content. Mr. Yadav said the accused had been found associated with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, allegedly part of a terror-backed espionage network. He further stated that Jasbir Singh maintained close contact with Jyoti Malhotra, a Haryana-based YouTuber previously arrested for espionage by Haryana Police, and with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled official from the Pakistan High Commission. Sharing details of the operation, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Ravjot Grewal said police teams had received credible inputs indicating that Jasbir Singh had been in contact with several Pakistan-based entities, including ISI agents, and had allegedly been supplying sensitive information pertaining to the movement of the Indian Army and other internal matters to Pakistani handlers. 'Around 150 Pakistan contacts have been retrieved from the initial mobile phone forensics of the arrested individual. These include mobile numbers linked to ISI operatives, officials from the Pakistan High Commission, and other Pakistan-based entities,' Ms. Grewal said. A case has been registered under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act. Elon Musk calls Trump's big tax break bill a 'disgusting abomination' Elon Musk blasted U.S. President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' of tax breaks and spending cuts as a 'disgusting abomination' on Tuesday (June 4, 2025), testing the limits of his political influence as he targeted the centerpiece of Republicans' legislative agenda. The broadside, which Musk issued on his social media platform X, came just days after the president gave him a celebratory Oval Office farewell that marked the end of his work for the administration, where he spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Mr. Musk posted on X. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' The legislation, which has passed the House and is currently under debate in the Senate, would curtail subsidies that benefit Tesla, Musk's electric automaker. The tech billionaire followed his criticism with a threat aimed at Republicans. 'In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,' he wrote in another X post. It's a sharp shift for Mr. Musk, the world's richest person, who spent at least $250 million supporting Mr. Trump's campaign last year. He previously pledged to help defeat Republican lawmakers deemed insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump, but now he's suggesting voting them out if they advance the president's legislative priority. However, it's unclear how Mr. Musk will follow through on his criticism. He recently said he would spend 'a lot less' on political campaigns, though he left the door open to political involvement 'if I see a reason.' The tech titan's missives could cause headaches for Republicans on Capitol Hill, who face conflicting demands from Mr. Trump and their party's wealthiest benefactor. Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said, 'It's not helpful' to have Mr. Musk criticising the legislation, but he doesn't expect lawmakers to side with Musk over Trump. 'Senate Republicans are not going to let the tax cuts expire,' Mr. Conant said. 'It just makes leadership's job that much harder to wrangle the holdouts.' In Brief: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday a U.S. proposal for a nuclear deal was against Tehran's national interests, and that the country would not abandon uranium enrichment. The issue of uranium enrichment has been a sticking point in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Uranium enrichment remained key to the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme, Khamenei said in a speech. On Monday, an Iranian diplomat told Reuters Tehran was poised to reject a U.S. proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, dismissing it as a 'non-starter' that fails to soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran's interests. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
