Govind Tekale
The decennial Census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011. The first complete census was taken in 1881. The first census of independent India was conducted in 1951. All the censuses were conducted under the 1948 Census of India Act. It is conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
During the 1951 census, I was about 15 years old. There was no high school in my village named Mudgal Ekoji, near the 1993 Maharashtra earthquake epicenter. As I was just whiling my time in my village, I could help the teachers who were conducting the census. After observing my work, one of the teachers told my father to admit me to a high school at Omerga as I was a bright student, according to the teachers of our village primary school.
My father took me and admitted me to a secondary school, 6th standard in Bharat Vidyalay, Omerga, about 20 km from my village. That is how the census changed my life and today, while reflecting back, I realize the importance of the Census. The Census is not only about counting human heads. It also collects data which is critically useful for planning the next decade.
Post-2020, globally, is considered to be India’s era. India has already become the 5 largest democracy in the world. However, India’s per capita GDP remains one of the lowest, just under 3. That means a census is essential now, more than ever, if India as a country has to plan its growth journey.
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Owing to the Pandemic, the 2021 census has not been conducted so far. Now according to the Constitution, all the parliamentary and legislative constituencies are to be delimited in 2026. For that purpose, the government is bound to hold a Census before 2026. According to Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, census commissioner, his organization is well prepared to conduct the census anytime the government orders it.
But why the delay? Is it a lack of funds? India has spent millions or rather billions on just river beautification projects, like construction of riverfronts (not river rejuvenation). Census is reported to cost more than Rs. 12000 crore (approximately 143.76 million dollars). Meanwhile just one riverfront project, Musi in Hyderabad, has been allotted Rs. 1 lakh crore (almost 12 billion dollars).
One hopes that the census operations will be undertaken, as the General election is over. As the 18th Lok Sabha has more than 200 opposition members, the government will have to announce the timetable. Already, a digital census is there. But it is voluntary. Therefore, nobody comes forward to give information about one’s age, profession, and other details as required by the digital census.
We know the population of India as about 1.5 billion, according to UN figures. But in order to plan for the delimitation exercise and development, we will have to conduct the already delayed census. We will come to know the government’s plan for the Census during the Parliament session beginning 24 June, 2024.
