Context:
In what appears to be a case of complicating matters, the Union government is reportedly considering expanding data collection in the long-delayed Census to include caste enumeration. This inclusion of caste as a variable could be a response to the strong demand for a caste census from several political parties.
Relevance:
- GS1- Population and Associated Issues
- GS2- Government Policies & Interventions
Mains Question:
Highlight the origin and evolution of the decennial census in India. What have been the repercussions of the delay in conducting the census after 2011? (10 Marks, 150 Words).
About the Census:
Definition:
- A Population Census is a comprehensive process that involves collecting, compiling, analyzing, and distributing demographic, economic, and social data for all individuals in a country or a clearly defined region at a specific point in time.
- The Census serves as the foundation for evaluating the country’s progress over the previous decade, monitoring current government programs, and planning for the future.
- It offers a snapshot of a community that is accurate at a particular moment.
Frequency:
- The first synchronized Census in India was conducted in 1881 under the supervision of W.C. Plowden, the Census Commissioner of India. Since then, the Census has been consistently conducted every ten years.
- The Census of India Act of 1948 provides the legal framework for carrying out the Census but does not specify its timing or periodicity.
- Therefore, while a Census is mandated by the Constitution in India, there is no Constitutional or legal requirement for it to be conducted every ten years.
- Although many countries, such as the US and the UK, adhere to a 10-year Census cycle, others like Australia, Canada, and Japan conduct it every five years.
Nodal Ministry:
- The decennial Census is overseen by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Before 1951, the Census organization was established on an ad-hoc basis for each Census.
Recording Caste Data:
- However, given the incomplete and poorly designed nature of the Socio-Economic and Caste Census of 2011, which produced data that were unwieldy, inaccurate, and therefore unusable, the government should not rush into using the Registrar General’s office and other agencies to record caste data.
- A clear and definite timeline for conducting the Census with urgency should be established first.
- If the delay is intentional, possibly to allow for delimitation to occur first in 2026, this could be detrimental not only to public policy but also to relations with the States.
Impact of the Delay:
- As of June 2024, out of 233 countries, India was one of 44 that had not conducted a Census this decade.
- While the Union Home Ministry cited delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 143 other countries conducted their Census after March 2020, when the pandemic began.
- India now shares the unfortunate distinction of not having conducted a Census with countries affected by conflict, economic crises, or turmoil, such as Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and several in sub-Saharan Africa.
- There is little justification for the ongoing delay of the decennial Census, an exercise that has been consistently conducted from 1881 to 2011.
- Yet, the deadline to finalize the administrative boundaries of districts, tehsils, towns, and municipal bodies—a necessary step before conducting the Census—expired on June 30 this year. This deadline has been extended 10 times since 2019.
- Numerous public schemes, such as the National Food Security Act, the National Social Assistance Programme, and the delimitation of constituencies, depend on the Census being conducted.
- Additionally, statistical surveys that inform policy, like those on household and social consumption, the National Family Health Survey, the Periodic Labour Force Survey, and the Sample Registration System, among others, rely on the Census to establish their sampling frames.
- As the 2011 Census data becomes increasingly outdated, with phenomena such as migration within and across states, urbanization of Indian societies, and suburbanization of cities becoming more pronounced in recent years, the absence of a Census is glaring.
- Relying on various sample surveys to fill this gap only leads to debates over methodology and politically motivated conclusions.
Conclusion:
The Union government must cease neglecting its responsibilities and proceed with the Census without further delay.
