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What is the News?
The Government of India is likely to postpone the 2021 census to 2022, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country.
First phase of the Census was scheduled to be rolled out on 1st April 2020. Under this phase, House Listing & Housing Census and updating of the National Population Register (NPR) was to be completed.
Key Features of the Upcoming 16th Census of India:
- India’s last census or 15th Census of India was carried out in 2011.
- The data collected by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India during the Census will be stored electronically.
- The census will be conducted in 18 languages out of the 22 scheduled languages (under the 8th schedule) and English.
- The option of “Other” under the gender category will be changed to “Third Gender”.
- The data is proposed to be collected through a mobile app by the enumerators, and they will receive an additional payment as an incentive.
About Census:
- The Census of India counts and collects demographic and socio-economic information on the Indian population. It is the largest such exercise.
- The first non-synchronous census was conducted between 1865 and 1872 in different parts of the country.
- However, the first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly once every ten years.
- Since 1949 the census has been conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Click Here to Read about National Population Register(NPR)
Difference Between NPR and Census:
- The census involves a detailed questionnaire. In the 2011 Census, there were 29 items to be filled up aimed at eliciting the particulars of every person, including age, sex, marital status, children, occupation, birthplace, mother tongue, religion, disability, and whether they belonged to any Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
- On the other hand, the NPR collects basic demographic data and biometric particulars.
- The census is legally backed by the Census Act,1948. The NPR is a mechanism outlined in a set of rules framed under the Citizenship Act,1955.
Source: The Hindu
