EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : No population Census — in the dark without vital data
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: The Hindu
• Prelims: Census, The Census Act, 1948, NPR, caste census, NFHS, PLFS, National Register of Citizens (NRC) etc
• Mains GS Paper I and II: Government policies and interventions for development of various sectors and issues arising out of them etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• India is among a select few countries that have not conducted the latest Census(44 of 233 nations). Of the 189 (81%) that managed to conduct their latest rounds, 143 did after March 2020.
• Of the 189 (81%) that managed to conduct their latest rounds, 143 did after March 2020.
• The Budget 2024-25 recently allocated ₹1,309.46 crore for the Census, a significant reduction from 2021-22 when ₹3,768 crore was allocated for the decadal exercise.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Census:
• The census provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.
• The Census was first started under British Viceroy Lord Mayo in 1872.
• It helped in framing new policies, government programs to uplift areas of improvement in the community.
• The first synchronous census in India was held in *1881*.
• Every ten years: Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly once every ten years.
Who conducts the census?
• 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.
The Census is one of the most credible sources of information on the following:
• Economic Activity.
• Literacy and Education.
• Housing & Household Amenities.
• Urbanization, Fertility, and Mortality.
• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Census in India:
• India’s first Census was held in *1872*, conducted non-synchronously in different parts of the country.
• After that, India has held its decadal censuses regularly from *1881 to 2011.*
Limitation of avoiding a Census:
• It includes a wide range of locational, familial and individual information that serves to understand the changing population dynamic in its entirety.
• The reliability of all our large-scale surveys such as National Family Health Survey and Periodic Labour Force Survey carried out on a Census frame that is one and a half decades old.
Need for Census:
• This decade-and-a-half has been a period of potential transformation in population count and its composition and on many other features relating to education, occupation, employment, health (COVID-19) and livelihoods. Considering the significance of examining these features, delaying the Census sounds irresponsible.
• Considering the significance of examining these features, delaying the Census sounds irresponsible.
• Without a proper denominator, monitoring the success of any government schemes and programmes will be misleading.
• A majority of our country’s population is unable to access several schemes, benefits and services.
• The implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act passed in the Parliament last year, reserving 33% of seats in Parliament and Assemblies for women, awaits the conduct of the Census.
• A rapid demographic transition and the resultant demographic dividend: A population Census is necessary to reveal these changes along with familial structures, locational distribution and occupational composition.
• In the absence of a Census frame, the surveys carried out will be less reliable and representative which has been the basis of generating a whole host of SDG indicators. The measure of progress in the SDG claimed, based on the indicators, may well be under scrutiny given their statistical inadequacies.
• The measure of progress in the SDG claimed, based on the indicators, may well be under scrutiny given their statistical inadequacies.
• The world population scenario is greatly influenced by Indian population features It is essential to have the reality of its population features obtained in the Census rather than presuming estimated values Past trends depend on projections and extrapolations.
• It is essential to have the reality of its population features obtained in the Census rather than presuming estimated values
• Past trends depend on projections and extrapolations.
Caste Census:
• A caste census provides empirical evidence of existing disparities, enabling the government and civil society to design interventions for equitable distribution of benefits
• Caste census is crucial for administrative purposes, including planning and allocation of resources.
• It helps in targeting development programs and policies for specific caste groups based on their socio-economic status and needs.
• Constitutionally mandated policies such as reservations in education, employment, and legislative bodies rely on caste-based data to ensure effective implementation.
• Detailed enumeration helps in identifying beneficiaries, preventing misclassification, and ensuring equitable distribution of benefits.
Way Forward
• In the prevailing SDG environment, there has been a generation of a wide range of indicators with disaggregation below the sub-national level. Such indicators pertain to many dimensions that need a standardization by population count By aggregate and its segmented count by age, sex and many other attributes)which is compromised in the absence of a Census. Numbers or survey-based estimates are quite insufficient to represent changing realities. Caste auditing: It is to establish differential entitlements citing a lack of representation and deprivation. Tangible endowments are a limited way to diagnose deprivation It makes an assessment of the intangible domains such as education and occupation. There is a complete absence of any systematic assessment of mobility in the said domains of education and occupation against the axis of caste despite sustained affirmative action for so long. The scientific community should convey the need for a Census without any further delay to get out of the illusion that surveys and many other administrative statistics are a replacement for the Census. Justice Rohini Commission: A nationwide socio-economic caste census is necessary to evolve scientific criteria for such sub-categorisation. This would also be necessary for all States, which have their own State-level OBC lists, given the wide variety in caste composition.
• Such indicators pertain to many dimensions that need a standardization by population count By aggregate and its segmented count by age, sex and many other attributes)which is compromised in the absence of a Census.
• By aggregate and its segmented count by age, sex and many other attributes)which is compromised in the absence of a Census.
• Numbers or survey-based estimates are quite insufficient to represent changing realities.
• Caste auditing: It is to establish differential entitlements citing a lack of representation and deprivation. Tangible endowments are a limited way to diagnose deprivation It makes an assessment of the intangible domains such as education and occupation. There is a complete absence of any systematic assessment of mobility in the said domains of education and occupation against the axis of caste despite sustained affirmative action for so long.
• Tangible endowments are a limited way to diagnose deprivation
• It makes an assessment of the intangible domains such as education and occupation.
• There is a complete absence of any systematic assessment of mobility in the said domains of education and occupation against the axis of caste despite sustained affirmative action for so long.
• The scientific community should convey the need for a Census without any further delay to get out of the illusion that surveys and many other administrative statistics are a replacement for the Census.
• Justice Rohini Commission: A nationwide socio-economic caste census is necessary to evolve scientific criteria for such sub-categorisation. This would also be necessary for all States, which have their own State-level OBC lists, given the wide variety in caste composition.
• This would also be necessary for all States, which have their own State-level OBC lists, given the wide variety in caste composition.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail.(UPSC 2021) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)