Latest news with #PopulationCensus2027
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CM Stalin raises delimitation issue, MHA says Shah assures concerns will be addressed
The spokesperson said the Census was originally scheduled for 2021 and all preparations were completed, but it had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that the aftershocks of COVID-19 continued for a long time and disrupted many sectors, including education. Around 30 lakh enumerators are needed for the Census, and most of them are primary school teachers, who are key to the process. Conducting the Census immediately after COVID-19, the spokesperson said, could have severely disrupted primary education. He also noted that countries that carried out their Census soon after the pandemic faced issues related to the quality and coverage of data. The government has now decided to begin the Census process and complete it by March 1, 2027, which will be the reference date for most of the country. He clarified that the budget has never been an issue for conducting the Census, as the government always ensures adequate funding. India's 16th Census, which will include caste enumeration, will be conducted in 2027. The reference date for snow-bound areas like Ladakh will be October 1, 2026, while for the rest of the country it will be March 1, 2027. The MHA said the Population Census 2027 will be carried out in two phases along with the caste count.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Census-2027 reignites delimitation row: ‘BJP plans to reduce Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha seats,' alleges MK Stalin
The Union government has announced the dates of the long-delayed Census. The government said on Wednesday that the Census will be carried out in two phases before 1 March 2027. This time, the enumerators will collect caste details of residents along with the population numbers. This is happening for the first time since independence. The annoucement has, however, reopened the debate on deimitation with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the centre of planning to reduce Tamil Nadu's parliamentary seats. The Census data is likely become the base for delimitation, women's reservation and one nation, one election. Stalin, the DMK chief, demanded an answer from the Union government over the timing for conducting a caste census, highlighting the constitutional mandate that delimitation must follow the census after 2026. "The Indian Constitution mandates that delimitation must follow the first census after 2026. The BJP has now delayed the census to 2027, making their plan clear to reduce Tamil Nadu's Parliamentary representation," Stalin posted on X. Stalin said that the warnings he issued earlier regarding delimitation are unfolding now. Stalin further attacked All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, accusing him of being "complicit in this betrayal" by siding with the BJP. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs statement on Population Census 2027, the reference date 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. The full schedule will be notified on June 16. The reference date is actually a cut-off date, as the population of a country is usually declared as of a specific day or date. The official headcount, and the houselisting process precedes this cut-off date. The whole exercise might take up to another three years for the numbers to be finalised and released. 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. Census enumeration and the final report released in the next few months is expected to open the doors for delimitation of Lok Sabha seats. The government has also promised to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament following the delimitation. Parties in the southern states fear that they will lose representation in Parliament if delimitation is conducted based on population enumeration of the latest Census. They argue that southern states have been able to control their populations better compared to northern states over the years and hence they will get less representation in the Parliament if seats are alloted based on population. Earlier this year, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu even passed a resolution opposing Census-based delimitation. In March, Stalin-led a joint action committee (JAC) comprising the chief ministers of four states and political parties from three others called for a fair delimitation. The JAC urged the Centre to extend the freeze on the delimitation on parliamentary constituencies by another three decades. During the Emergency (June 25 1975 – March 21, 1977) the Congress government headed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhipassed the 42nd amendment, officially known as The Constitution (Forty-second amendment) Act, 1976. This meant that the 1971 census was used as the reference point until the first census after 2000. It basically froze the number of Lok Sabha seats until after the first Census taken after 2000. In 2002, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government extended the freeze for next 25 years until at least 2026. It is this freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is urging the Centre to extend for another 30 years. A 2019 analysis by Milan Vaishnaw and Jamie Hintson of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, projected that a delimitation exercise could see the overall strength of the Lok Sabha rising to 848, with Uttar Pradesh alone seeing its tally increase from the current 80 to 143 by 2026. In contrast, the analysis said, Tamil Nadu, which currently sends 39 representatives, could see the number rise to just 49. Kerala, which sends 20, would see no change at all. This is precisely the concern raised by states in the south. In February, Union minister Amit Shah assured that no southern state, including Tamil Nadu, will see a reduction in Parliamentary representation due to the delimitation exercise. 'I want to reassure the public of South India that Modi ji has kept your interest in mind to make sure that not even one seat is reduced pro rata,' Amit Shah said addressing a gathering in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. 'Whatever increase is there, Southern states will get a fair share, there is no reason to doubt this," he said. It's now clear that he has surrendered to Delhi's domination. The census, due in 2021, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Census 2027 is slated to be one of the most comprehensive data-gathering exercises undertaken by the Indian government. Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Census to begin Feb 2027, March 1 set as reference date
India's 16th Census is set for October 1, 2026, in snow-bound areas and March 1, 2027, elsewhere. The Home Ministry plans to issue a notification by June 16, 2025. Caste enumeration will occur alongside the census. The Congress party criticizes the delay, alleging the Modi government's failure to meet deadlines. The last census was in 2011. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The much-delayed 16th Census exercise, along with caste enumeration , will be carried out with a reference date of October 1, 2026 in snow-bound areas like Ladakh, and March 1, 2027 in the rest of the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on to officials, the process will begin with the issuance of a notification, which is tentatively scheduled to be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025, under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. The final phase of enumeration will begin in February 2027 and conclude on March 1, 2027, which will serve as the national reference date."It has been decided to conduct Population Census 2027 in two phases, along with enumeration of castes. The reference date will be 00:00 hours of March 1, 2027," the MHA said in a Ladakh and other non-synchronous, snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026, the ministry Census of India is carried out under provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The last census was conducted in 2011 in two 2021 was also scheduled in two phases-April to September 2020, and February 2021. While preparations were completed for the first phase, the fieldwork set to begin on April 1, 2020, was postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19, and later due to the 2024 general government has now decided to carry out caste enumeration along with the census. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting in April 2024. The Registrar General of India is expected to introduce a column for caste, in addition to other demographic data, officials after the Centre announced the Census schedule, the Congress said there is no reason to delay the exercise for another 23 months and alleged that the Modi government does not meet 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 twenty three months. The Modi Government is capable only of generating headlines, not meeting deadlines."
The Print
2 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Long-pending census exercise to be held in 2 phases over next 3 yrs, will include caste data
According to a statement by the government, the reference date for Population Census 2027 will be 00:00 hours of 1 March, 2027. The long pending exercise will be conducted after 14 years. The last was conducted in 2010. New Delhi: In a major development, the Centre Wednesday announced that the population census exercise will be held in two phases along with the enumeration of castes, in the next three years. 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 1 October, 2026. The notification with the above reference dates will be published in the official gazette tentatively on 16 June 2025, as per the provision of section 3 of Census Act 1948, the statement said. According to a source in the government, the process of census begins with issuance of the notification. 'The notification of intent will be published in the official gazette on 16 June, 2025, tentatively. The second and final phase of the census will begin in February 2027 and conclude on 1 March, 2027,' the source 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. In phase I, house listing was done from 1 April to 30 September, 2010. In phase II, population enumeration was done on 9 February to 28 February 2011, with reference date 00:00 hours of 1 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. Also Read: BrahminGenes Anuradha Tiwari has launched a war on caste census. 'A betrayal by Modi govt' Enumeration of caste alongside enumeration of population What is new in this exercise is also that the enumeration of caste will also take place alongside enumeration of population. Caste was never included in any census since Independence. The Congress-led UPA government had, in 2011, enumerated caste data as part of its Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), but the figures were never made public. The Modi-led NDA government had in 2021 ruled out a caste census. In a reply to Lok Sabha, the Centre had said that it had decided, as a matter of policy, not to enumerate caste-wise data beyond SCs and STs. In its affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court, the Centre had said that 'population Census is not the ideal instrument for collection of details on caste' as 'the operational difficulties are so many that there is a grave danger that basic integrity of census data may be compromised and the fundamental population could itself get distorted'. Since then, the BJP had maintained an ambiguous stance on the issue, often accusing the Congress of using the caste census demand to create societal divisions. But in April the government announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next census exercise. A delay due to COVID-19 The 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. This, however, could not materialise. '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 and UTs from 1 April, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed,' the statement said. (Edited by Viny Mishra)
