Census 2021

In News

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

Census of 2021

• It will be the 15th Indian Census.
• It will be conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration.  
  • It will also provide a facility to the public for self-enumeration.
    • For the first time, the Census 2021 will use the Mobile App for data collection.
  • Apart from allowing the provision of online self-enumeration, home visit by the enumerators for collecting census data will continue as in the past.

Cause of the delay:

• Covid-19:
  • Initially, the Covid-19 pandemic extended the deadline of the census.
• Freezing of administrative boundaries:
  • 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).
  • Freezing of boundary limits of administrative units, at least three months prior, is a prerequisite for conducting the census.
  • The office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) has recently extended the deadline for freezing administrative boundaries to December 31, 2022, causing further delay in the exercise.

More about Census

• India will soon begin preparations for what is one of the world’s largest head-count exercises.
• The Census is the enumeration of the population of the country and it is being conducted at an interval of 10 years. 
• It was first started under British Viceroy Lord Mayo in 1872. 
• The first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. 
• Significance:
  • The Census gives us a clear picture of who India is– its demography, how they live, what they do and is the basis on which key policies are formulated. 
  • It helps in framing government programs to uplift areas of improvement in the community.
  • It is also the basis for reviewing the country’s progress in the past decade, monitoring the ongoing schemes of the government and planning for the future.
• Who conducts this exercise?
  • The responsibility of conducting the decennial Census rests with the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
• Structure of data:
  • In the Census, data is collected on demographic and various socio-economic parameters like education, SC/ST, religion, language, marriage, fertility, disability, occupation and migration of the individuals.

• 2011 marks the first time biometric information was collected. 

Difference between the National Population Register (NPR) and the Census 

• The process of NPR and Census will begin simultaneously, the two databases are not the same.
• The decennial census is the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on the different characteristics of the people of India.
• While NPR only contains demographic information, more details are required for the census like information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, and housing and household amenities among others.

National Population Register (NPR):

• NPR was first done in 2010 and was later updated in 2015 when it was linked with Aadhar. 
• It already has a database of 119 crore residents. 
• It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR.
• A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more.
• The Registrar General India shall act as the “National Registration Authority”, it is also the country’s Census Commissioner.

Source: IE