The continuous delay in the census has been strongly criticized by economists and policymakers within and outside the government.
The long-pending census in India is likely to begin in September. Census is conducted every ten years in India. The last census was conducted in 2011. In this regard, the next census was to be held in 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Now the census is likely to start in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This census is considered especially important in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, because through this important data related to the population of the country will be collected. With the help of this data, the government will be helped in the formulation of various policies and schemes.
News agency Reuters quoted two government officials directly involved in the process as saying that this survey will take about 18 months to complete and the results are expected to be released by March 2026. The continuous delay in the census has been strongly criticized by economists and policymakers within and outside the government. They argue that this delay has compromised the accuracy and relevance of various statistical surveys, including those related to economic data, inflation and employment estimates. This delay in the census has led to a shortage of data with the government in various areas, leading to difficulties in policy making.
Currently, most of these data sets rely on the outdated 2011 census, affecting several government schemes and policies. According to the report, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation are working on a detailed timeline for the census. However, final approval from the Prime Minister’s Office is awaited.
Despite the need for this exercise, the central government has cut this year’s budget for the 2021 census. Originally, the Union Cabinet had approved a budget of ₹8,754.23 crore for the census and an additional ₹3,941.35 crore for updating the National Population Register (NPR). However, in the Union Budget 2024-25, the allocation was reduced to ₹1,309 crore, much less than the ₹3,768 crore set in 2021-22.
This budget cut has cast doubts over the census this year as well. Last month, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had expressed disappointment that the finance minister’s budget announcements made no mention of providing adequate funds for the census. “This is the first time since Independence that the government has failed to conduct the census on time,” he said.
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