The unprecedented four-year delay presents a first time change in the 150 year old census cycle. Today, in 2024 calibrated demands regarding the census has also emerged. The opposition is pressing for a caste-based census, a demand that has gained traction since the Bihar government under the previous Nitish Kumar-RJD combine had successfully conducted the exercise. a Additionally, the implementation of the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2023 (Women Reservation), which seeks to reserve 33 percent seats for women in Parliament and State legislatures, is directly tied to the availability of updated census data, creating a sense of urgency. Telengana state has also begun conducting a caste based census in November 2024.

Besides, the outcome of the census is critical for the delimitation exercise, which will redraw electoral boundaries based on population data. This overlapping of several issues has compounded the challenges, leaving the government with significant political, social, and administrative hurdles in ensuring that a truly representative and inclusive 2025 Census is conducted/held.

Understanding what the Census is

The Census is usually a complete count of a population (as of a state) that must include social and economic information (occupation, ages and incomes). Census data is a vital base for the conception and formulation of policies of any responsible government. Census data includes data on their age, gender, job, education, and living conditions. The census usually happens every ten years, providing a snapshot of the country’s population at a specific time

In India, the first synchronous census during the pre-independence period was conducted on February 17, 1881, under the leadership of W.C. Plowden, who was the Census Commissioner of India at that time. Following India’s independence, the first post-independence census was conducted in 1951, which was also the seventh in the cumulative series of censuses. Census process for India governed through the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The Central Government has power under section 3 to take Census and under Rule 6A can declare the date and duration of Census in which the houselisting operations and population census take place.

Section 4A of the Census Act makes it binding on any local authority to make available staff employed under it as may be directed by written order of the Central government for the purpose of performance of any duties in connection with taking of census.

Following the decadal census cycle of 10 years after Census 2011, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, announced the houselisting operations for the Census of India 2021 on January 7, 2020. The scheduled dates for the houselisting were from April 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020. The 2021 Census was to include 31 questions, with the first five focused on building particulars, questions 6 and 7 on household details (for census houses used wholly or partly as residences), and questions 8 to 10 related to the head of the household. Questions 9 to 31 pertained to the normal household, with specific items (23, 24, 26, 27, 28, and 29) addressing household assets.

The number of questions canvassed during Population Enumeration in Censuses from 1951 to 2011 is listed below:

However, the scheduled exercise could not be conducted, and the central government postponed the census timeline.

Census data is collected in two phases. The first is the House Listing phase, which gathers information on housing amenities like toilets, electricity, and water supply. The second phase focuses on the household members, capturing details such as the number of individuals, their mother tongue, religion, caste (reserved category), literacy, and disability status. This data helps shape policies for minority groups, disabled individuals, and other socio-economic categories. Given its policy significance, the census questionnaire has undergone minimal changes over the years.

The last Census in India was conducted in two phases in 2011. The first phase, which involved houselisting and housing census, took place from April to September 2010, while the second phase, focused on population enumeration, occurred from February 9 to 28, 2011. The census recorded a total population of 1.21 billion (1210.2 million), a number roughly equivalent to the combined populations of the USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Japan. Moreover, the household schedule of Census 2011 contained 29 questions.

Census questionnaire from 1872 to 2011 can be accessed here

National Population Register (NPR)

In 2010, the National Population Register (NPR), a comprehensive biometric database of all “usual residents” in India, was compiled alongside the Census and the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC). The NPR was updated in 2015-16, and is currently being revised once more.

The updated NPR questionnaire includes new data, such as information about an individual’s parents’ places of birth and their mother tongue. However, the inclusion of these invasive questions has sparked debate among politicians and activists, who have expressed concerns about their invasive nature and highlighted that such questions are unreasonable and arbitrary, potentially sowing division and mistrust.

In January 2022, Lok Janshakti Party leader and late Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan stated that the government would consider the demand to remove the questions about the date and place of birth of one’s parents in the proposed National Population Register, according to The Hindu. “Even I don’t know the date of birth of my parents, forget about producing documents proving the dates,” he said.

The NPR is widely seen as the first step toward the creation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This connection is not only outlined in the Citizenship Rules of 2003, but has also been explicitly acknowledged by the government in Parliament and in the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Annual Report for 2018-19.

The NPR is being created under the provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955, and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. The NPR includes details of all ‘usual residents’ of India, regardless of their citizenship status. This means both citizens and non-citizens will be included in the register.

According to Rule 3(4), the Central Government can decide a date by which the Population Register will be prepared. It will collect information such as the name, relationship to the head of the family, parents’ names, marital status, place of birth, nationality, address, occupation, and education of every individual. Rule 5 outlines the responsibility of government officials to assist in the registration process. Additionally, Rule 7 states that the head of each family is responsible for providing accurate details about all family members. In the case of dependents, such as minors or disabled individuals, the head of the family is also responsible for reporting their information. Finally, Rule 16(4) places the supervision of the entire process under the Registrar General of Citizen Registration, with oversight by local and district registrars.

NPR does not have complete legal sanction. NPR is being carried out under Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, which is a subordinate legislation. Rules are made by the Executive/Govt and not scrutinised by Parliament

Why is the decadal census important?

The decadal census is a critical tool for assessing progress of citizens, tracking the effectiveness of government schemes, and planning for future development. Conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the census provides essential data on population size, demographic changes, social indicators, and economic conditions. This data is foundational for policy-making, resource allocation, and designing welfare programs.

Additionally, the census plays a critical role in resource allocation that infrastructure and social services are distributed equitably across regions. It also aids in urban and rural planning, allowing authorities to anticipate future population growth and demographic shifts, which is essential for sustainable development. Ultimately, the decadal census is a cornerstone of long-term planning, guiding everything from public health to infrastructure, ensuring a more informed and responsive government.

First digital census this time and self-enumeration portal

In September 2020, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the proposed 2021 census would be conducted digitally, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocating a budget of ₹3,786 crore for the initiative. This census would mark the first-ever digital census in India, allowing citizens to self-enumerate by filling out the census form online.

Additionally, on March 11, 2022, the Central Government inserted rule 6D under the Census Rules, 1990, which felicitate the fling of census schedule through self-enumeration for citizens who want to exercise the right to fill the Census form on their own rather than through government enumerators.

The self-enumeration (SE) process enables individuals to check, update, and validate the National Population Register (NPR) records for their households through the SE Portal

However, the government made it clear that the data collected under NPR may be used for various individual and household-oriented welfare schemes of State/Central Government

In 2022, while inaugurating the new office building of the Directorate of Census Operations in Assam at Amingaon in Kamrup, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that “the process of a digital census would begin as soon as the COVID-19 outbreak subsided, with the goal of completing it before 2024.” However, as the year draws to a close, it seems unlikely that the digital census will be completed within the promised timeframe

जनगणना आकड़ो का ऐसा स्त्रोत है जिसके आधार पर केंद्र व राज्य सरकारें अपनी नीतियां बनाती हैं।

जनगणना एक साथ हमें कई सर्वेक्षणों से बचाने का काम करती है।

मोदी सरकार ने तय किया है कि अब जो जनगणना होगी वह ई-जनगणना होगी जिसके आधार पर देश के अगले 25 साल के विकास का खाका तैयार होगा। pic.twitter.com/TyClkoPWow

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 9, 2022

Census cycle, delimitation and concern of Southern states

The 2021 census, a crucial synchronous decadal exercise, was delayed due to the pandemic, disrupting the regular census cycle. Population data derived from the census helps the government assess social and economic trends, allocate resources, and plan for development. Without updated figures, it becomes challenging to effectively design and implement public schemes.

So far, no formal announcement has been made regarding the revised schedule for the census. However, according to reports in Hindustan Times, the work for the 2021 census and the National Population Register (NPR) is likely to begin in early 2025, with the population data expected to be released by 2026. This delay may also impact the census cycle itself, potentially shifting it to a new pattern. Going forward, the decadal cycle could change to 2025-2035, followed by 2035-2045, and so on. Furthermore, the last delimitation exercise, which was due after the 2001 census, has been frozen since 2002 for 25 years.

However, delimitation has been perceived as unfair to Southern states due to their demographic and developmental progress. Historically, Northern states lagged behind Southern states in terms of income and poverty, but since the early 2000s, the Southern states—such as Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu—have made remarkable strides in economic development, education, and healthcare. Their combined GDP surpasses that of 13 Eastern states, and their educational outcomes, including higher graduation rates, demonstrate a more skilled workforce.

Southern states, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, also showed better public health infrastructure. However, under the current population-based system of delimitation, these states face a potential reduction in parliamentary seats, while more populous Northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar gain. This raise concerns that the quality of governance and civic activism in the South is not adequately represented, highlighting the need for a more equitable approach to electoral representation.

How has NPR been made compulsory for citizens?

While the NPR questions are primarily voluntary, the Central Government has made the updation of the NPR compulsory for all residents of India. This is outlined in an instruction manual released by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Initially scheduled for 2020, the NPR updation will now take place alongside the upcoming Census. Enumerators, who have been appointed for the Houselisting and Housing Census, will also conduct the NPR updation, which involves a house-to-house enumeration to update the demographic details of all residents.

In effect, while participation in the NPR itself is voluntary, the process of updating the register has been made compulsory as clubbing with Census. This indirect compulsion means that residents are required to provide updated personal information, even though they are not explicitly mandated to answer every question.

The NPR database was first compiled in 2010 and updated in 2015-16. The current updation will collect additional data, including Aadhaar numbers (on a voluntary basis also pre-filled), mobile numbers, Voter ID, Passport, and Driving License details. New households and residents will also be recorded. While the updation process is mandatory, some states, like West Bengal, Kerala, and Punjab, have chosen not to participate in NPR-related activities, limiting the scope of the exercise in those regions.

Ref. Article: What to do when government officials come to your home? can be accessed here

Answering questions in NPR is not legally binding on an individual. However, 9 & 7 of the rules do require that everyone has to register and that head of family must give answer to NPR questions or else face a fine of Rs. 1000/-.

Providing information for NPR is voluntary, but refusal may lead to being marked a “Doubtful Citizen,” risking disenfranchisement as under Rule 4(4) of the Citizenship Rules, 2003, a lower-level government official can declare an individual a “Doubtful Citizen” if they decline to provide data for the NPR. If the refusal is not widespread, there’s a risk of being marked as “Doubtful Citizen,” potentially affecting one’s citizenship status.

The NPR Instruction Manual 2020 can be accessed here

Question in NPR and privacy aspects

As per Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) report, 21 questions that government was to ask under the new NPR 2020 threaten our privacy and may lead to surveillance and most dangerous of all can help target and mark out sections of the population for disenfranchisement from citizenship. The government, by clubbing the two, NPR process with the Census process, the government is being both devious and dishonest. It is likely that state governments will assign the same set of officers to conduct both surveys at the same time.

By merging these two separate processes, the government risks creating confusion and a sense of distrust among the public.

The invasive questions—such as those asking about an individual’s parents’ places of birth and mother tongue—are viewed as potentially discriminatory, especially in the context of the government’s broader plans for a National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NPR data could be used to target specific communities for exclusion from citizenship, leading to disenfranchisement, fear, and confusion among vulnerable groups.

A central issue is the government’s decision to combine the NPR process with the Census, a move that has raised suspicions of hidden motives. By conducting both surveys simultaneously and using the same set of officers, the government is seen by many as attempting to normalize the invasive nature of the NPR questions under the guise of routine data collection. This combination of processes is viewed as not only misleading but also as a strategy to sidestep scrutiny, obscuring the true intent behind the NPR.

Moreover, the relationship between NPR and NRC remains deeply contentious. While the NPR is primarily focused on collecting demographic data, it serves as the first step toward the NRC, which aims to identify illegal immigrants. In such a scenario, the NPR questionnaire, which includes sensitive details about an individual’s family background, could be used to weed out certain populations from citizenship, especially in a political climate where identity and nationality are often weaponized.

The lack of transparency around how this data will be stored, shared, and used further heightens privacy concerns. As citizens’ personal information is collected on a national scale, the potential for misuse looms large. With no clear safeguards in place, the NPR process risks turning into a tool for surveillance, fostering a climate of mistrust and fear. What is presented as an administrative exercise could, in the worst-case scenario, become a means for marginalizing entire communities.

No clarity on caste census

However, the government has yet to provide clarity on the issue of a caste-based census. Reports suggest that the government may include a “caste” field in the houselisting schedule of the upcoming census. Meanwhile, opposition parties are demanding that the central government conduct a nationwide caste census.

It is important to note that the caste census plays a crucial role in determining reservation quotas for various categories on ground of backwardness, as majority view in Indra Sawhney vs. Union of India (1992) opined that “Caste was a dominant factor of primary criterion in determining the backwardness of a class of citizens” and it did not offend Article 16(4). It was held that a caste could become a ‘backward class’ provided that the caste satisfied the test of backwardness and the test of inadequate representation.

This has been a key argument of the opposition in advocating for a nationwide caste census. On August 24, 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing the “Samvidhan Samman Sammelan” in Prayagraj, stated that 90 percent of the population is excluded from the system, emphasizing that the caste census is not only foundational but also a critical tool for effective policy-making.

Importantly, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Indra Sawhney vs. Union of India (1992) set a ceiling of 50% on total reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Accurate caste data from the census is essential for ensuring that the allocation of reservations remains within this limit while also addressing the socio-economic needs of underrepresented groups and distribution of wealth among the marginalized.

However, on June 20, 2024, a Division Bench of the Patna High Court, in the case of Gaurav Kumar v. State of Bihar [C.W. 16760 of 2023], struck down two amendment laws passed by the Bihar government. These were the Bihar Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes) (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the Bihar (In Admission in Educational Institutions) Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023. The amendments had sought to increase the percentage of reserved seats for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions from 50% to 65%.

Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana launched the state’s first caste census on November 6, 2024, the first such exercise since 1951. This exercise involves door-to-door data collection till November 30, 2024. Telangana’s caste census includes 56 questions covering a range of topics, such as health hazards related to caste-based occupations, annual income, access to welfare schemes, and details of movable and immovable property.

The caste census was a key poll promise made by the Congress party ahead of the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. The promise aimed to extend reservations to marginalized communities in proportion to their population across education, employment, and welfare schemes. Additionally, the party pledged to increase the reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies from 23% to 42%, and to implement a 42% BC reservation in government civil construction and maintenance contracts.

Notably, the Census 2021 houselisting schedule, which was notified in January 2020, included 31 questions, excluding the caste-related field.

The Women Reservation Act 2023: how is this tied up with the Census?

In a historic move, the NDA government introduced the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act in 2023 which received assent of President Droupadi Murmu on September 28, 2023, marking a significant step toward increasing women’s representation in Indian politics. This amendment introduced Article 330A and Article 332A, which reserve one-third of the total seats in both the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) and the Legislative Assemblies of all states for women.

However, the amendment also introduced Article 334A (3). This provision establishes a rotation system for reserved seats, meaning that constituencies reserved for women will change after each subsequent delimitation exercise. Additionally, Article 334A (1), inserted through the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, delays the implementation of the reservation until after the first census following the amendment, which will provide the necessary data for delimitation. As a result, the reservation will not take effect immediately and will expire after 15 years unless renewed.

On September 20, 2023, Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi while addressing Lok Sabha, said that he stands in support of the Women Reservation Bill and this bill can be implemented today by giving 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies to India’s women.. Rahul Gandhi alleged that BJP government is tries to distract the Adani issue and caste census while postponing the Act’s implementation. Congress criticized this move and said that caste census and delimitation were ‘poor excuses’ for the postponement of the women’s quota. Congress said that the Women’s reservation bill is a good thing, but two ‘footnotes’ of census and delimitation have been attached with it.

On September 20, 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Parliament, said that the government has ensured the reservation of one-third of seats for women across all categories in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. He also responding to opposition concerns about the delay in implementing the women’s quota, said that the Census and Delimitation processes are necessary to determine the constituencies to be reserved for women. The Delimitation Commission, which relies on census data, is the only authority that can make these decisions. Amit Shah also confirmed that the census and delimitation process will begin after the 2024 general elections, pushing the quota’s implementation to 2029, which has been criticized by the opposition parties.

Conclusion

India’s decadal census, a vital tool for social and economic planning, has experienced significant delays, with the 2021 census now rescheduled for 2025. This delay, coupled with political debates surrounding caste-based data and implementation of women’s reservation, has compounded challenges. The postponement impacts the delimitation process, which relies on updated population data to redraw electoral boundaries. Southern states, which have made notable strides in economic and social development, could be disadvantaged if their progress isn’t reflected in the delayed census. Additionally, the controversial update of the National Population Register (NPR) adds further complexity. The government now faces growing pressure to address these uncertainties and ensure fair representation for all regions.

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The post To count or not to count, delays and India’s decadal Census appeared first on SabrangIndia.

It is pertinent to note that linking the registry of birth and death to Aadhar card has also been proposed by the government in the past. IN November 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs floated proposed amendments to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 which entailed a national database of records of births and deaths and linking Aadhar information to the same. The MHA had also expressed its intent to use this data to update the much opposed National Population Register (NPR). The Ministry had stated that the data will be used for updating NPR, Electoral Registers, Aadhar Database, Ration card database, Passport Database as well as the driving license database.

The Ministry has started again from where it left things in November 2021. At the inaugural event, Shah said that registration of births and deaths is important for updating citizens’ register, electoral rolls and list of people who avail beneficiary schemes, reported The Hindu.

What about the Census?

The description sounds quite similar to what a Census is supposed to be. 2021 was the year when our Census was due. However, the same could not be held on time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the pandemic long behind us, there is absolute silence from the government on when the Census will be conducted. The general elections are due for 2024 and the Union government has shown no political intent to conduct Census anytime before that.

Under the Census Act, there is no mandate or obligation upon the Union government to conduct Census every 10 years. The section 3 of the Act states:

3. Central Government to take census.—The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare its intention of taking a census in the whole or any part of the territories to which this Act extends, whenever it may consider it necessary or desirable to do so, and there upon the census shall be taken.

Shah did say during the event that previous censuses were not accurate and the government will now conduct the Census electronically so that the data can be audited and verified, reported The Hindu.

What the government plans to do

Shah has said that the Registrar General of India will be the authority for birth and death registration. The RGI is the nodal agency for Census and also implements Registration of Births and Deaths Act. Shah said that the RGI “will ensure that the Election Commission is informed by the related software, immediately after the death of a voter, and the due process to strike off his or her name can be adopted. The opposite can be done to include a new voter in the voter list as soon as he or she becomes 18 years old.”

A source from the government speaking to Hindustan Times disclosed, “The proposed amendments say that the birth and death registration data will be necessary for admission into educational institutions, issuance of driving license, preparation of voter list, registration of marriage, appointment in government jobs and for passports etc.”

Why is centralization of this data a problem?

The Centre has clearly stated that this data will be used for updating NPR, Electoral Registers, Aadhar Database, Ration card database, Passport Database as well as the driving license database. This means, the Centre will be able to track births, deaths,

The Centre will have a record of all the registered deaths and will use the same to update NPR which will in turn be used to make the nation wide NRC. However, the question arises, what about those births that are not registered?

Citizen for Justice and Peace’s experience working on the citizenship issue in Assam has led to the realization that out of people excluded from NRC, vast numbers were children because the parents could not provide their birth certificates. Children below 18 do not have voter’s ID cards and if they have not given class 10 or 12 board examination their only proof of birth in the country is the birth certificate and if the infrastructure for registering births is not robust in rural or remote areas, it is likely that a large chunk of population does not exist on paper for the government and there is no way for them to prove that they were indeed born in this country. Hence, if this data is centralized and used to update NPR and eventually the NRC, this population has no strong proof of citizenship and stands at the risk of becoming non-citizens or aliens in the country they were born in. This, in itself, is a potential grave humanitarian crisis.

Based on information received from 32 States/UTs, the share of institutional births to total registered births is 81.2 percent. This means that despite institutional births, there are loopholes whereby registration of births has been missed out.

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The post New Bill to link birth and death registry with Electoral rolls in next Session: Amit Shah appeared first on SabrangIndia.

At every session in Parliament in the past two years, questions have been raised over the timeline of the Census which was supposed to be carried out in 2021. The government had, in 2020, expressed its intention to carry out the first phase of Census called the houselisting phase and the National Population Register (NPR) along with it. While the declaration for NPR met with a lot of opposition and criticism, calling it the first step towards the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Census was unopposed, as a regular practice.

However, since the Census scheduled for 2021 was postponed, genuinely at that time, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reason being dragged on for over two years and more has become tiring and the decision to delay Census has raised questions over the government’s intentions. Since after COVID, life has returned to normal and even a number of state elections have taken place and, in all probability, so will the general elections next year. Each time, the question over Census has been asked in the past two years, the answer has been standard, “The intent of the Government for conducting Census 2021 was notified in the Gazette of India on 28th March, 2019. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the conduct of Census 2021, updating of National Population Register and the related field activities have been postponed until further orders.”

These “further orders”, however, do not seem forthcoming at all. There has been no notification about the census and the general elections are due next year, which is another mammoth exercise to be carried out in a democracy with a population of over 1.2 billion (as per Census 2011). The population is projected to be over 1.4 billion currently, but there is no way to confirm this officially until the census is conducted.

Under the Census Act, there is no mandate or obligation upon the Union government to conduct Census every 10 years. The section 3 of the Act states:

3. Central Government to take census.—The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare its intention of taking a census in the whole or any part of the territories to which this Act extends, whenever it may consider it necessary or desirable to do so, and there upon the census shall be taken.

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM), Sitaram Yechury criticized the government for delaying the Census and said that “it is criminal to further postpone the 2021 Census”. He further said in his tweet, “Census data is vital for policy formulations & for focusing on programmes for marginalised people & economically backward regions.  Since it started in 1881 it continued uninterrupted even during the two World Wars!”

It is criminal to further postpone Census 2021.
Census data is vital for policy formulations & for focussing on programmes for marginalised people & economically backward regions.
Since it started in 1881 it continued uninterrupted even during the two World Wars! pic.twitter.com/gIVqMDyqHY

— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 8, 2023

Many publications, including the BBC, have raised concerns over this delayed exercise.  BBC spoke to economist Dipa Sinha who quoted research by economists Jean Dreze, Reetika Khera and Meghana Mungikar to state that since the government still depends on population figures from the 2011 census to determine who is eligible for aid, more than 100 million people are estimated to be excluded from the PDS.

“Apart from the direct impact on welfare schemes, the census also provides the data set from which other crucial studies – such as the National Sample Survey (a series of surveys that collect information on all aspects of the economic life of citizens) and National Family Health Survey (a comprehensive household survey of health and social indicators) – draw their samples,” says BBC.

K Narayanan Unni, who served as Deputy Registrar General and was a member of the Advisory Committee for Census 2011 and 2021, spoke to Rediff and said that a few crores of people are out of the net for many government schemes due to lack in counting of the population that has grown since 2011. About the delay in Census he said, “Technically, we should not have had this kind of a delay. Now, there is no way of doing it earlier. As things stand, we cannot do it before 2024”.

Countries like Canada, Australia have managed to complete their census in 2021 and even, United Kingdom, the colonialists, from whom we carried forward our Census have completed their Census in 2021. The only question remains, in that case, is what is holding the Indian government back?

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The post Census is not a priority for the Union government appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Adivasis in at least five states are planning to hold a Rail Roko (block railways) protest on November 30 to demand inclusion of the Sarna Code in the Census. As per a report in The Telegraph, the protest is being spearheaded by Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan, a tribal organisation having a presence in Jharkhand, Odisha, Bengal, Bihar and Assam.

The group is led by Salkhan Mumru who is a former Member of Parliament from Mayurbhanj in Odisha, and is currently based out of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. Mumru told the publication, “We have a significant number of our members in these five states and they would be mobilised for the rail roko agitation. We are ready to withdraw the agitation if the Centre calls us for talks or agrees to include Sarna in the religion column of the next census.”

It is noteworthy that the states where the agitation is planned are all associated with mining activity, and therefore depend heavily on railways for transportation of the extracted ore.

Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan plans to spend the next two months mobilizing tribals for the Rail Roko protest and also hold smaller peaceful protests. Mumru had in August met with President Draupadi Mumru and communicated the demand for inclusion of the Sarna Code in the Census to her as well.

Is Sarna a separate religion?

Sarna literally means a grove of trees, and followers of the Sarna religion hold groves of Sal trees, indigenous to the Chota Nagpur Plateau region, to be sacred. Sarna is an animist religion followed by a vast majority of Adivasis of indigenous tribal people of India residing in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and even some in West Bengal and Assam. They insist that despite being essentially nature worshipers, and even having festivals dedicated to ancestor worship, their religion is distinct from Hinduism. Sarna followers have therefore been demanding that it be recognised as a separate code in the Census, so that they can identify officially as non-Hindus.

In a December 2020 interview to Down to Earth, Sonajharia Minz, Vice Chancellor, Sido Kanhu Murmu University, explained, “According to the tribal ethos, community is part of an ecosystem and not the master of it. The tribal religion is different from Hinduism as it does not have a figure of god.” She further said, “There is a supreme spirit that does not have a name and is worshipped. There is reverence for nature in the form of trees, mountains and rivers, as they are seen as the manifestation of that supreme spirit. The denial of this identity distorts the census figures.”

In the same article[1] titled Sarna Dharam Code: Of Adivasi identity and eco-nationalism, Ambika Aiyadurai, Anthropologist, Assistant Professor, IIT Gandhinagar, offered another take on the importance of including the Sarna Code in the Census. She said, “Both Christianity and Hindutva groups (in northeast India) are competing with each other to bring the tribal communities under their respective folds. To resist this, there have been serious attempts to institutionalise the indigenous faith of the respective tribal communities, to create space for their own faith. Indigenous people are often caught up in a struggle to maintain their unique indigenous identity.”

This is significant given how while on the one hand the continued presence of a variety of Christian missionaries in different tribal areas since before Independence had led many tribals to convert to Christianity, one the other Hindutva groups are trying to conflate the identity of all tribals with that of Hindus.

Since Census data plays a key role in development of policies related to Adivasis i.e people hailing from indigenous communities and tribes, followers of Sarna feel that assigning a separate code for Sarna religion in the Census would allow authorities to get an actual picture of just how many Sarna followers there are across the country and this in turn could help them in formulating better policies for tribals. When the tribal identity is conflated with that of Hindus or people of any other religion, their actual numbers are not represented properly. This impacts recognition of tribals and access to benefits related to reservations and welfare measures.

Recommendations and advocacy for inclusion of Sarna Code in Census

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has recommended way back when the 2011 Census was to be conducted, that Sarna be assigned a separate religion code in the Census. Rameshwar Oraon who was the chairman of the NCST at that time was quoted by Times of India as saying, “Their demand deserves adequate attention and I would suggest independent religion code should be accorded to Sarna in the religion code of the Census.”

According to Navbharat Times, when people were given the option to write Sarna in the ‘other’ column under religion, nearly 50 lakh people identified as Sarna followers, with 40 lakhs hailing from Jharkhand alone!

In fact, on November 11, 2020, the Jharkhand State Assembly passed a unanimous resolution to demand the inclusion of a separate Sarna Code in the 2021 Census. The proposal was tabled by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who had said previously at an online conference of Harvard University in February that year, “Tribals were never Hindus. They have a distinct social and religious identity. They are nature worshippers and yet efforts have been made to club them with Hindus.” At that time, Soren had attracted much flak for this assertion, mainly from right-wing Hindutva groups who have long held the belief that all tribals are Hindus.

Salkhan Mumru, while reiterating this demand for a separate Sarna Code in the Census, told The Telegraph, “We are surprised as tribals, who are mostly nature worshippers, are denied this recognition. The 50-lakh tribal people, who had put their religion as Sarna in the 2011 census, although it was not a recognised code, are more than the Jains and Buddhists. The Adivasis are not Hindus, Muslims and Christians.”

In December 2021, over 500 tribals had held a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar under the aegis of Rashtriya Adivasi Samaj Sarna Dharma Raksha Abhiyan. The four-hour long protest culminated with memoranda being given to then President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda and registrar general and census commissioner of India Vivek Joshi.

Karma Oraon, who is the former head of anthropology department in Ranchi University and advisor, Rashtriya Adivasi Samaj Sarna Dharma Raksha Abhiyan, was quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “The inclusion of separate Sarna religion code would help in the preservation of separate tribal identity both culturally and in terms of religion.”

[1] https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/sarna-dharam-code-of-adivasi-identity-and-eco-nationalism-74569

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Sarna code, a possible headache for right-wing supporters?

Sarna code: More than just a political tactic

Adivasi identity at stake

The post Adivasi groups resolve to intensify agitation demanding inclusion of Sarna Code in Census appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The first phase of Census accompanied with National Population Register (NPR) exercise that was due to kickstart in April 2020 has been postponed once again until September 2022. The exercise has been postponed repeatedly due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. NPR is a National Population Register which will contain the details of all the ‘usual residents’ of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens of India.

Registrar General of India (RGI) had in December informed the states that freezing of boundaries of districts, sub-districts, tehsils, talukas, police stations etc. has been postponed till June 2022, reported The Hindu. These measures are a pre-requisite for carrying out Census exercise hence, even if such an order to freeze boundaries is issued in June, the exercise can only begin in September.

The first phase of Census includes the Houselisting and Housing Census and this time it was to be accompanied by the updating of the NPR, which had created much controversy and opposition. The reason being that NPR was seen as the first step towards the National Register of Citizens (NRC). A detailed analysis of a combination of Citizenship Amendment  Act, 2019 (CAA along with NPR and NRC may be read here.

The houselisting phase collects data on the house, the amenities in the house, like toilet, electricity, water supply. The second phase is about the members in the household.

The RGI has decided to surrender the partial budget allocated for the Census-NPR exercise, reported the Economic Times. The Finance Ministry had allocated Rs 3,768 crore in the 2021-22 budget for this exercise.

The March 2021 update

In March 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had informed a parliamentary committee that Census update of NPR will be among the major thrust areas for the financial year 2021-22 and that the provisional data for the same will be available before the next general elections in 2024. However, looking at the current situation which is so volatile in terms of the spread of the pandemic, it is difficult to ascertain whether either of these exercises will be probable by then. In March, The Hindu had reported that the MHA had shared a tentative timeline with the parliamentary panel, saying that provisional Census results will be released in financial year 2023-24 and the primary Census abstracts (PCA) will provide village-level data on important indicators.

How NPR will be carried out

In fact, a mobile application was also developed for collecting the Census details and NPR enabling residents to self-enumerate. The MHA’s Annual report of 2019-2020 stated that the NPR will be updated in 3 ways, one of which is to update it by yourself on a web portal. The other two modes are by house to house enumeration in paper format and mobile mode. It clearly states that no documents or biometrics will be collected during the updation. The Cabinet has approved expenditure of Rs. 3,941.35 crore for NPR updation.

Why the opposition towards NPR?

The 21 questions under NPR, which the MHA declared to be voluntary, were seen as threatening privacy, leading to surveillance and further disenfranchisement of citizens through NRC. The first NPR took place in 2010, it was updated in 2015. The government claimed that NPR is being updated after a 10 year gap. The Rules do not state that NPR listing or data collection has to be done periodically. Hence, the motive behind NPR is being looked at suspiciously by all.

That NPR is the first step towards NRC is not only stated in the Citizenship Rules, 2003 but also MHA’s Annual Report 2018- 19.

Difference between Census and NPR

While answering questions related to the House listing in the Census should be answered but questions in NPR need not be answered! It is completely up to the individual whether to provide the information.

Census is the primary source of basic national population data required for administrative purposes and for many aspects of economic and social research and planning. Not only are constituencies demarcated on the basis of the census but national, local, urban and rural income estimates as also crucial aspects of what levels of access to services and amenities our people have can be determined with an honest collation of this data. Meaning this data is important so that governments can formulate policies and welfare schemes tailored to the needs of the population data that is its people need. Census Data remains the most credible source of information on Demography (Population characteristics), Economic Activity, Literacy and Education, Housing & Household Amenities, Urbanisation, Fertility and Mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Language, Religion, Migration, Disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data.

NPR is a National Population Register which will contain the details of all the ‘usual residents’ of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens of India. The electronic database of more than 119 crore usual residents of the country has already been created under NPR which was created in 2010 along with House listing and Housing Census 2010. The Government of India has also stated that the NPR Database has been updated during 2015-16 in all States/UTs (except Assam and Meghalaya) to make a comprehensive resident database.

As per Clause 4(3) of the Citizenship Rules, “For the purposes of preparation and inclusion in the Local Register of Indian Citizens, the particulars collected of every family and individual in the Population Register shall be verified and scrutinized by the Local Registrar.”

The population register shall be verified and scrutinised by the local registrar. During the verification process, the particulars of “such individual” as shows Citizenship is doubtful shall be entered by the local registrar with an appropriate remark “doubtful Citizen” in the list of the population register for further inquiry!

Why is the NPR-NRC dangerous?

Harmless as that may sound, the NPR is expected to become the basis on which the All India NRC will be drawn up. At the end of the door to door survey, a list of people who have made it to the list will be declared. People whose names do not appear in NPR will have to appeal against it and present relevant documents to the district registrar who will then take a decision if the said person is a citizen or not.

NPR schedule

Census India has uploaded the houselisting schedule 2021, which is the enumeration done as a first phase of Census and was supposed to be carried out in April 2020, along with NPR. While the houselisting schedule has been duly uploaded and seems to be ready for use, the NPR schedule has not been officially declared by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. It is pertinent to note here that even the houselisting schedule for 2021 was finalised in January 2020 but no official announcement has been made regarding the NPR schedule.

In January 2020, Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner did release the NPR instruction manual directed towards guiding enumerators and state as well as district coordinators for conducting the updation of NPR. It was found that NPR 2020 was seeking information like permanent address, duration of state and place of last residence, details of father, mother and spouse, Aadhaar number, mobile no., Voter ID no., driving license no.

Further, under details of father and mother, their name, date of birth and place of birth is being asked, if they are not already enumerated in the same household. The NPR instruction manual also states that most of the NPR schedule will be pre-filled and one will only have to verify the same.

In February 2020, the Nitish Kumar government of Bihar had demanded that the Centre carry out NPR as per the 2010 schedule and refused to carry out NPR with questions regarding place of birth of mother and father.

After the Census office released the instruction manual, making it clear what questions will be asked during NPR, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) had prepared a detailed document on how to deal with enumerators who would be collecting both census houselisting and NPR data at the same time. The document may be accessed here.

After a national level uproar against questions regarding the place of birth of father and mother, the MHA had taken a stand in Parliament that answering questions in the NPR will be voluntary. However, the NPR section of the Census website still states, “It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR.” Thus, the government’s stand on conducting NPR has not been quite confusing and one expects the central government to clarify its stand before it starts asking people to start filling up NPR schedules.

As many as 13 states and Union Territories had opposed carrying out the exercise of updating the NPR, as the same was closely associated with the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC). Although the ruling government denied the link between NPR and NRC, the law that is already in place did not back their claims. The Citizenship Rules, 2003 clearly state that NPR is the first step to creating NRC.

Related:

MHA to allow self-updating NPR through web portals
Census v/s NPR
Why the CAA+NPR+NRC is a toxic cocktail for everyone  

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The Field Trials for the first phase of Census and National Population Register (NPR) are on the cards, as reported by The Hindu. The Census houselisting and NPR was scheduled to begin in April 2020, but the same got derailed and delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the government, during the recently concluded budget session, said that no definite dates have been decided for the Census-NPR exercise, a government official from the office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) told the newspaper that they are planning to conduct pre-tests or field trials through the app in one block each of every district, which is expected to cover 50 to 60 households. It is reported that the  app will contain questionnaires on house listing and housing census and the NPR.

“The dates for conducting the Census exercise have not been finalised yet. But the enumerators will have to be trained in using the app. Many enumerators are young schoolteachers who are expected to use the app instead of the paper schedule [form]. There will be incentives for the electronic form,” the unnamed official told The Hindu.

On February 9, Vivek Joshi, RGI and Census Commissioner of India, chaired a virtual meeting of the Directors of Census Operations of all States to review the preparations for the coming Census where the field trials using the app were discussed, stated the news report.

The official further said that instruction manuals for enumerators and other Census functionaries have been prepared, and that the app has been improvised after 2019 trials for conducting field trial afresh. He said they are waiting for direction from RGI.

As many as 13 states and Union Territories had opposed to carrying out the exercise of updating the NPR, as the same was closely associated with the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC). Although, the ruling government denied the link between NPR and NRC, the law that is already in place did not back their claims. The Citizenship Rules, 2003 clearly state that NPR is the first step to creating NRC.

The updation of NPR was justified by the Centre stating that the first NPR was prepared in 2010 and was updated in 2015 and hence, it needs to be updated again. 

NPR is a National Population Register which will contain the details of all the ‘usual residents’ of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens of India. The electronic database of more than 119 crore usual residents of the country has already been created under NPR which was created in 2010 along with Houselisting and Housing Census 2010.

The questions different from previous NPRs were date and place of birth of mother and father, and these were the ones that invoked political outrage. As many states raised their voices against inclusion of these questions, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared that the questions asked in the NPR would be voluntary and hence, one can choose to not tell the government where their parents were born.

As has been contended by people opposing Citizenship Amendment Act, along with NRC and NPR, the NPR is not a standalone exercise but has to be seen as an advance towards NRC which will then use CAA to incarcerate millions for not having documents to prove their citizenship. This deadly combination has been explained in detailed here.

Related:

Government tries to dodge questions about NRIC, says no decision yet

2020 List of Honour: 10 Anti-CAA-NPR-NRC protesters vilified in Delhi

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The post Census-NPR field trials to begin soon?  appeared first on SabrangIndia.

“It has been clarified at various levels in Government time and again that till now no decision has been taken to create National Register of Indian citizen,” said the government in response to recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee Report on the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with respect to apprehensions surrounding the upcoming census, and the possibility of data collected for the National Population Register (NPR) being used instead to create a National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) along the lines of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

The government further submitted, “All individual-level information collected in Census are confidential. In Census, only aggregated data are released at various administrative levels. Like the earlier Censuses, wide publicity measures would be taken up for creating proper awareness among public so as to conduct and complete the Census 2021 successfully. Questionnaires for Census along with that of NPR have been tested at Pre-test conducted successfully across the country,” reported The Indian Express. 

The Committee headed by Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Anand Sharma, had in February 2020 raised these concerns even as demonstrations against CAA-NRC-NPR across the country. The Action Taken report was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The protests came to an abrupt end due to the pandemic and the lockdown last year, but the concerns remained, especially with respect to information that will be gathered during the Census. In fact, it was discovered in August 2020, that some controversial questions such as those related to date and place of birth of parents, and mother tongue, were removed, purportedly in wake of widespread apprehensions.

SabrangIndia had previously reported on how NPR in the new format was trying to gather more personal data than the 2010 version. We had reported on how special notes had been made about nationality and mother tongue in the instruction manual. There is a special note in the “nationality” section which reads “Nationality recorded is as declared by the respondent. This does not confer any right to Indian Citizenship”. There is also a special note under the “mother tongue” section, that says, “If you have reasons to suspect that in any area due to any organised movement, the mother tongue is not being truthfully returned, you should record the mother tongue as actually returned by the respondent and make a report to your supervisory officers for verification.”

Meanwhile, the government appears disinclined to use Aadhaar data in the upcoming Census. It has submitted, “Aadhaar number has been developed as a separate database which is being used only for de-duplication purpose and authentication of beneficiaries of various Government schemes.”

Related:

Controversial questions removed from NPR?
NPR 2020: What does it want to know?

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The government at the Centre is all set to defer the house-listing Census and the update of the National Population Register (NPR), scheduled to begin in certain states on April 1, on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Hindu reported.

The publication reported that two government sources at the Centre confirmed that the exercise will not go ahead in light of the Union Ministry’s guidelines asking the limiting of mass contact due to the coronavirus. However, a formal announcement by the Centre is still awaited and Home Ministry officials are tight-lipped about the development.

The Economic Times said that a senior government official mentioned the postponement of the Census if the deadline of the lockdown, March 31, is extended further. He also said, “In case of shortage of enumerators, the process can be staggered but this may lead to delay in compilation of data. We are considering all options including self-enumeration.”

The process of self-enumeration was planned by the Registrar General of India (RGI) for the second phase of Census that will begin from February 2021. “Using mobile numbers, respondents can generate OTPs after which they can log in and fill self and family members’ details in the census population enumeration form. The reference number generated after filling the form online can then be provided to enumerators later,” said the official.

A government functionary told the Times of India that even if the Census-NPR date was deferred, it could still be completed within the September 2020 deadline. He stated that the government must notify a 45-day period within the six month window of April 1 to September 2020 for the exercise to be completed. He said, “This is meant to offer them flexibility in drawing a schedule that beats local conditions like heat or monsoon. Given that states / UTs notify their respective schedules, there is always an option of delaying the April 1 date to start the Census-NPR by at least a few weeks.”

After Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik wrote to PM Narendra Modi urging him to delay the Census “in the interest of the people”, the Delhi government also wrote to the Centre requesting that the Census-NPR operations be postponed by “at least a month” and that the rescheduling of this exercise may be “reviewed in the last week of the deferment”.

In a letter to Vivek Joshi, Census Commissioner of India, the Delhi Government on March 18 pointed out that a “high state” of alert had been declared in the capital territory and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, invoked.

It also pointed out that the “spread of Covid-19 may be exacerbated” because the enumerators will have to go house-to-house to collect details of citizens.

The CPM’s Politburo too released a statement asking the PM to order the deferment of the Census-NPR, reported Firstpost. Asking that the Central government “single-mindedly” focus on battling the pandemic, the statement read, “Given the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for taking precautions such as social distancing, the Politburo of the CPI (M) is of the firm opinion that the NPR enumeration slated to begin from April 1 must be abandoned.”

President Ram Nath Kovind who was supposed to be enumerated as the first Indian in the Census and NPR, has now cleared his schedule and isn’t meeting members of the public due to the coronavirus threat.

The NPR has garnered a lot of Opposition from the public for being seen as the first step of the exclusionary National Register of Citizens (NRC). Many state assemblies have passed resolutions against the NPR-NRC but the Centre has been unfazed by the same.

However, the method of the conduction of the Census-NPR includes home visits, putting both, enumerators and respondents at a risk of the coronavirus. People protesting against the CAA-NPR-NRC have also deferred their agitations and ensured hygiene protocols at protest sites, following the government advisories to ensure public safety.

Since the government has ordered partial shutdown of shops, malls, offices and other public places in a bid to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, it must now also look at deferring the Census-NPR and stop from putting millions of lives at risk.

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Anti-CAA-NPR-NRC protests may be suspended due to Corona Virus pandemic

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Among the tense atmosphere with regards to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), a notification issued by the Telangana State government on Wednesday for collecting information through house-listing and housing Census for the Census 2021 has renewed apprehensions in the people, reported the Deccan Chronicle.

The notification issued by the Telangana government has said that the operations for the same will commence on April 1, 2020. While officials say that CM K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR as he is fondly known, has asked them to put the work of NPR on hold until further instructions from the Chief Minister’s Office, but many people have otherwise opined that the CM was using the Census as a backdoor method to implement the NPR, thereby using it to implement the NRC.

The list issued by the Telangana government will have enumerators collect details from citizens on 31 items – details of the census house, total number of persons in the household, name and sex of the head of the household and whether the head of the household belongs to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other.

The enumerators will also ask for information regarding whether the household has access to the internet, laptop / computer, mobile phone and smart phone and the mobile number, which it has specified will be for ‘census related communications only’.

The NPR has been said to be the first step to the NRC and post attacks on government officials in Kota and West Bengal who were collecting information not related to the Census, the announcement of the exercise in Telangana has risen people’s fears.

In the current situation, with protests against the CAA-NPR-NRC mounting in the country, the enumerators also face fears of resistance from the public.

In the past, KCR has opposed the CAA and also raised doubts about the NPR and NRC, but hasn’t taken any official stand on it yet. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had voted against the bill in the Parliament. Telangana officials say that it might adopt a resolution against the CAA-NPR-NRC and that the CM is likely to make an official statement on the same. Last month, Telangana state home minister Mahmood Ali had said, “I assure you that there won’t be any NRC, there’s not even a second thought on it. We will live peacefully. There won’t be any trouble.”

With regards to the NPR-NRC, TRS working president, KCR’s son, KT Rama Rao earlier in December had said that the party would take a decision on the NPR-NRC only when an official communication from the Centre came their way. He said that if they found that the Centre’s intentions were questionable, they would take a call on the same in the Cabinet.

However, Congress MP A Revanth Reddy accused the government of being sly and said, “It is an open secret that Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekar Rao have a tacit understanding. Now it stands exposed after the notification of the TRS government, which will pave way for implementation of NPR and NRC in Telangana in future.”

Though the TRS trumped the BJP in the urban local body elections, KCR is said to be Modi’s ‘invisible friend’ after having backed his decisions like the Triple Talaq Bill and the abrogation of Article 370. It is said that now, by opposing the CAA-NPR-NRC, the TRS is trying to gain ground on the state and national levels, reported The Wire. This came to light when KCR said that more than 20 lakh Muslims from Telangana have been living in Gulf countries, doing menial jobs and that the BJP’s divisive politics would harm their interests.

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Exclusive! MP to begin Census House listing & NPR from May 1- June 14

The post Telangana issues Census notification, sparks fear of NPR-NRC appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Government of India has suddenly declared that it will conduct a door to door survey to determine the ordinary residents of India from April 2020 to September 2020 (National Population Register-NPR). India is also due for the decennial population survey, the Census in 2021. Expect a notification from the Registrar General of Census soon.

However, by clubbing these two processes, one a much needed and regular process, the Census with the second, controversial NPR-NRC process the government is deliberately generating confusion and causing alarm.

The 21 questions that the government is now asking under the new NPR 2020 threatens our privacy, may lead to surveillance and most dangerous of all can help target and mark out sections of the population for disenfranchisement from citizenship. This is why many citizens protests have been saying NO to NPR-NRC.

What we need to say equally clearly is that we have no objection to the Census. Hence, we need to clearly understand and distinguish between the two. 

However we also need to tell the government: do not start the Census 2021 process until the NPR-NRC is completely withdrawn.

Meanwhile here is a Citizens’ primer:

Which questions do we need to answer?  Which must we refuse to answer?  Why? 

I. Importance of Census data collection

Census is the primary source of basic national population data required for administrative purposes and for many aspects of economic and social research and planning. As per the census website, the population census provides the basic data for administrative purposes. One of the most basic of the administrative uses of census data is in the demarcation of constituencies and the allocation of representation on governing bodies. The census data also prove useful in national income estimates and estimates on differential personal incomes in rural and urban areas and the composition of rural and urban consumption of groups of goods and services and income elasticity co-efficients.

Census is the most credible source of information on Demography (Population characteristics), Economic Activity, Literacy and Education, Housing & Household Amenities, Urbanisation, Fertility and Mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Language, Religion, Migration, Disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data.

The Census in India is conducted as per provisions of the Census Act, 1948. Providing accurate data is mandatory under section 8 of the Census Act, 1948 which states that every person of whom any question (published in official gazette for Census purposes) is asked shall be legally bound to answer such question to the best of his knowledge.

Further, section 4A of the Census Act makes it binding on any local authority to make available staff employed under it as may be directed by written order of Central government for the purpose of performance of any duties in connection with taking of census.

Census 2021 will be the 8^th census to be conducted in independent India and 16^th Census since 1872, which was carried out under the British Raj.

II. Can Census / NPR data be misused?

While there are a lot of positives on census data collection, there is also a dark side to it which gets slipped under the rug. Germany misused its census data to identify Jews to later persecute them and as they invaded few other countries of Europe, they got their population data and used it to identify people to be rounded up, put in labour camps and ultimately exterminated.

Even USA had misused population data during the second World War to get data on people of Japanese origin. Japanese-American population on the west coast of the US was rounded up and sent to concentration camps for the duration of the war.

III. Census in two phases

The census data is collected in two phases in India. First is the Houselisting phase which precedes the second phase of Household data collection phase. The former collects data on the house, the amenities in the house, like toilet, electricity, water supply. This helps the government asecertain how much of the population needs to be provided with such basic facilities and then policies are formulated accordingly and also funds are allocated. That is the objective of the first phase. The government is also able to ascertain the standard of living of people by finding out whether the house has a car or jeep or any vehicle.

The second phase is about the members in the household. This data not only ascertains the number of people in the household and hence consequently the population of the country, but also becomes a repository of data on the mother tongue, religion people follow, whether they are from the reserved category, how literate they are, whether they are disabled. All of this data is ideally to be put to use for the purpose of formulating policies for the minority population or policies to benefit the disabled. It also becomes a graph of cultural diversity of the country, especially like India which has 22 official languages and many more dialects. Literacy rate affects education police, sex ratio affects policies for women empowerment as well and hence policy makers eagerly wait for census data to make a further plan of action and also it comes as a report card to ascertain whether their policies had any impact on literacy or the sex ratio and such other factors.

The questions asked in the census are important and sufficient from the policy perspective and very minor changes have been made to the census questionnaire over the years.

IV. NPR

NPR is a National Population Register which will contain the details of all the ‘usual residents’ of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens of India. The electronic database of more than 119 crore usual residents of the country has already been created under NPR which was created in 2010 along with Houselisting and Housing Census 2010. As per decision of the Government of India, the NPR Database has been updated during 2015-16 in all States/UTs (except Assam and Meghalaya) to make a comprehensive resident database.

V. Is NPR a law?

NPR is being undertaken under the provisions of The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules,2003.

It is pertinent to note that NPR does not have statutory backing. It has not been passed as a law by both houses of the Parliament. It is a part of subordinate or delegated legislation which allows the executive to make rules and regulations for better implementation of a law. If NPR were really subordinate to the Census it would have been included in the Census Rules instead of the Citizenship Rules.

VI. NPR and Census

As per the instruction manual released by the Ministry of Home Affairs pertaining to NPR, it is going to be carried out simultaneously along with the Houselisting Census or the first phase of Census 2021. Both of these are scheduled to begin from April 1, 2020 and will be concluded by September 30, 2020.

The instruction manual also states that the enumeration will be carried out simultaneously hence it is most likely that when a census enumerator comes to your doorstep, they will fill out the NPR and census schedules together. As explained above, census data is important for general development and growth of the country, the rationale behind NPR has still not made clear by the government and hence there are some questions in the NPR schedule that can be declined.

Most questions asked in NPR are a part of Census Household schedule (the second phase) which is to be carried out in 2021. Hence, the “need” for an NPR is being constantly questioned by all. Even the government has not put out a clear stance on the same. Previous NPR included collecting biometric data of people which was then incorporated into the Aadhar database. Nowhere is it mentioned in the Rules that NPR is to be conducted periodically or after every 10 years. Since NPR was updated in 2015, the 10-year period gap does not apply here, as claimed by the government earlier. Hence, NPR is being looked at suspiciously by all as being the first step towards NRC (national Register of Citizens). This has been claimed by the government itself on several occasions in the Parliament and the same has been also mentioned in the Annual Report 2018-19 of the Ministryof Home Affairs. Hence, its is important to understand how NPR will be carried out by Census enumerators, what questions you may or may not answer.

Here is a guide on how the simultaneous processes of NPR and Census will be carried out, the questions that will be asked and which of these questions are voluntary, which means you have the right to decline from providing such information.

VII. Census Houselisting Schedule:

These are the questions that form a part of the Census Houselisting Schedule, 2020:

1. Building number (Municipal or local authority or census number).

2. Census house number.

3. Predominant material of floor, wall and roof of the census house.

4. Ascertain use of census house.

5. Condition of the census house.

6. Household number.

7. Total number of persons normally residing in the household:

8. Name of the head of the household.

9. Sex of the head of the household.

10. Whether the head of the household belongs to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other.

11. Ownership status of the census house.

12. Number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household.

13. Number of married couple(s) living in the household.

14. Main source of drinking water.

15. Availability of drinking water source.

16. Main source of lighting.

17. Access to latrine.

18. Type of latrine.

19. Waste water outlet.

20. Availability of bathing facility.

21. Availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection.

22. Main fuel used for cooking.

23. Radio/Transistor.

24. Television.

25. Access to internet.

26. Laptop/Computer.

27. Telephone/Mobile Phone/Smartphone.

28. Bicycle/Scooter/Motorcycle/Moped.

29. Car/Jeep/Van.

30. Main Cereal consumed in the household.

31. Mobile Number (for census related communications only).

*Source:ORGI Gazette Notification (Period of Houselisting Operation and Questions in Houselisting& Housing Census for Census 2021) dated 07-01-2019

VIII. NPR schedule:

Most of the fields in the NPR schedule will be pre-filled as the data was already collected in 2010 and updated in 2015. Hence, only changes in such data will be recorded. You will have to verify the data already filled in the schedule/questionnaire. As clarified by MoS Home Ministry,G Kishan Reddy, providing information in the NPR is voluntary. This means YOU CAN DECLINE TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION asked in the NPR SCHEDULE. However there is a penalty of Rs 1,000 to the head of the family who declines to provide such data.

Most crucially Rule 4(4) of the Citizenship Rules, 2003 empower a lower level government official to conduct a table top exercise and declare you a “DOUBTFUL CITIZEN.” If you decline this data –and the boycott is not by a substantial section of the population, there is every likelihood that you can be declared a Doubtful Citizen!

Census House Number and Household Number 

· Present Address(pre-filled)

· Pin code  (pre-filled)

· Household Status  (available/closed/moved out/could not be enumerated/new)

· Number of members  (pre-filled)

· Name of the person in full (pre-filled)

· Availability of member of the household 

· Relationship to Head 

· Sex  (pre-filled)

· Marital Status

· Date of Birth (pre-filled)

· Place of Birth (pre-filled)

· Nationality as declared (pre-filled)

Note: Nationality recorded is as declared by the respondent. This does not confer any right to Indian Citizenship

· Passport Number (if Indian, only then can they ask for passport number)

The manual states “if the respondent provides passport number…” which can be understood as the information sought is voluntary. This means even if you have a passport you may choose to not provide the passport number.

· Educational Qualification

· Occupation/Activity

· Permanent Residential Address (pre-filled)

· Duration of stay and place of last residence

· Details of father, mother and spouse(Not mandatory)

· Aadhaar Number (if available)(specifically mentions “Aadhaar number is to be collected if provided by the resident voluntarily.)

· Mobile Number (pre-filled)

· Voter ID Card Number (if available)

· Driving License Number (if available)

If any of the above number is not available, it may be left blank. Hence, you will provide this information only if you want to.

About NPR being voluntary

 The Home Ministry faced a lot of opposition from non-BJP ruled statesat the recently concluded NPR-Census meeting regarding some questions included in the NPR especially the one concerning parents’ place of birth. Hence, the Home Ministry has made a statement recently that questions in NPR are voluntary.

Hence, it is important to note that while House listing Census questions should be answered but questions in NPR need not be answered. It is completely up to the individual whether to provide the information. Although, most set of data in the NPR schedule is going to be pre-filled, you can verify it or choose not to verify it.

Related Articles:

https://cjp.org.in/census-v-s-npr-short-english/

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