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Should not be only data-oriented but portray society: Parliamentary panel on Census
The Census 2021 – a two phase exercise – was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first phase was to be conducted from April 1 to September 30, 2020, while the second phase, known as Population Enumeration, was to be carried out from February 2021.
A parliamentary standing committee on home affairs has said the pan-India decadal census exercise should not merely be data oriented; rather it should portray the perspective of culture and society as was done before Independence.
It has recommended constitution of a separate expert group by the Registrar General of India (RGI) to examine the census pattern since its commencement and suggest measures to bring qualitative change in the census exercise so that the socio-cultural diversity of the country is truly represented in the census.
“The committee, in the meeting held on February 14, 2022, discussed that the census should not merely be data oriented, rather it should portray the perspective of culture and society. Members opined that since the current census has not commenced yet, an effort should be made on the part of the ministry (of home affairs) through the RGI to obtain data on such parameters as well as was being collected/reflected in the census reports in the pre-independence era,” stated the 238th report of department related parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma.
“………..the census being a pan-India decadal exercise should present the culture, traditions and diversity of the different regions of the country along with the numerical data,” it added. The report was tabled in Parliament on Monday.
Increased number of questions in the census questionnaire is the key reason cited by the committee for its demand for a renewed approached for carrying out the decennial exercise.
The committee members, in a meeting held on February 14 this year, also noted that the provincial registrars/officers and even the RGI have not written an annual report regarding the census process for the past few censuses. It has asked the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to restart the publication of annual reports from the upcoming census onwards.
A former RGI, however, disagreed with the committee. Requesting anonymity, the retired RGI said, “The census already captures various aspects of Indian society such as different cultures in different regions, economic background, languages etc. I don’t know what can be done differently.”
He said the annual report for 2011 Census was prepared but the reasons for not publishing it would be best known to the current census administration and the MHA.
The Census 2021 – a two phase exercise – was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first phase – which involves house listing, in which details of all buildings, permanent or temporary, are taken with their type, amenities, and assets – was to be conducted from April 1 to September 30, 2020, while the second phase, known as Population Enumeration, more detailed information on each individual residing in the country, Indian national or otherwise, was to be carried out from February 2021.
The forthcoming census will be the first digital census, where an enumerator would collect and submit data directly through Mobile App, using her or his smart phone. The provision of paper schedule is also kept in case of connectivity issues.
Subsequently, the government last week notified the online option for self-enumeration during both the phases of the Census.
