Home Minister Amit Shah recently stated that the Census, which has been delayed by three years, would start soon. The Census, which has been taking place every 10 years without failure since 1881, is of paramount importance as it throws up a wide range of crucial information on demography, economic and health status of the population, family structure, economic activities, migration pattern, etc. There has been a sea change in all the parameters mentioned earlier since the last Census took place in 2011. In the absence of a new one, which was slated to take place in 2021 but could not due to the Covid pandemic, policymakers are groping in the dark to devise new policies for a country with as dynamic a demography as India.
The Census captures not just the total population of the country, but also age, gender, religion, and language-wise division of the population. It captures data on fertility rate, it gives important insight into the nature of employment, employability as well as education levels of the population. Census also asks questions of nature and reasons for migration of people from villages to towns and towns to cities. The data, thus, collated can then be analysed further to arrive at many important conclusions. Census data becomes the basis for other important surveys like National Family Health Survey and Periodic Labour Force.
The Census data, thus, is the backbone for policy formulation, resource allocation and tracking progress in the country. More importantly, it helps the governments at every level to decide the future course of actions – whether it is infrastructure building, urban planning, environmental policies or devising social sector policies. Since the last Census was in 2011, any new policy decisions based on this outdated date might lead to disastrous consequences.
The country needs a new set of data that gives the correct picture of the nation’s development over the past 13 years. The new Census should be able to tell us whether we are on the correct path as far as policymaking is concerned or should we do a course correction. India is bestowed with a demographic dividend, but if we do not have the correct picture of the demography, the dividend might turn out to be a disaster. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to be serious about conducting the Census as soon as possible.