Avoid further delay in conducting the Census

The country has experienced the last census in 2011, which is going to complete about more than a decade now. The decade has seen several changes including the socio-economic, political and health needs of people.

Need of the census:

• The rural-urban distribution of population has been rapidly changing over the years.
• There is high population growth in the urban areas. Some cities have been growing faster than others through in-migration.
• The rural-urban distribution of population has been rapidly changing over the years. There is high population growth in the urban areas.
• Some cities have been growing faster than others through in-migration.
  • For example, areas under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike grew by 49.3% during 2001-11, while the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (11.9%), the Delhi Municipal Corporation (11.7%), and Greater Chennai Corporation (7.0%) had much lower growth rates.
• Kolkata Municipal Corporation recorded a fall in population during the same period.
• Pandemic chaos:
  • The pandemic resulted in deaths among adults and the aged relatively more than children.
  • Its impact on age distribution in severely affected areas would be of interest as it would give indirect estimates of the number of deaths.

Implications of the delay:

• Lack of reliable data: Sample surveys can provide reliable data on social and demographic indicators only at higher geographic levels.
• Distribution of resources: Apart from the population count, the Census has also been providing data on population characteristics, housing and amenities.
• Delay in implementation of schemes: The improvement in literacy and educational levels, economic activity, migration, etc., or the impact of programmes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, one must depend on sample surveys.
• Irregularity in public representation in parliament: The Census data are used to determine the number of seats to be reserved for SCs and STs in Parliament, State legislatures, local bodies, and government services.
• Confusion in delimitation exercise: Delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies would continue to be based on 2001 Census till data from a Census after 2026 are published.

About Digital census 2021:

• As all previous censuses in India have been paper-based. A mobile app will be used in Census 2021. It will be a transformation from paper census to digital census.
• The 2021 census is the 16th Indian census.
• The government was set to spend Rs.12, 000 crore on the 2021 Census as well as for the preparation of the National Population Register (NPR).
• This mammoth nationwide exercise will be carried out in 16 languages.
• The census will have its reference date as March 1, 2021, but for snow-bound Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand it will be October 1, 2020.

Advantages of a Digital Census/paperless census:

• A paperless census will drastically reduce the storage space for physical files.
• As all data will be stored electronically, the government will save up on substantial amount of physical storage space.
• Digital census will reduce the environmental burden by saving the trees required for paper manufacturing industries.
• The use of technology in census will also help pave the way for other technologies, such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, to take root in India.
• It will also help cut the project cost of census.
• As the records mentioned on pages could easily be tempered now going digitally, any tampering with the data will invite punishment under the Information Technology Act, 2000.