Holding census in a polarised world

If government sources are to be believed, India is finally going to start the process of the much-delayed 2021 Census. HT reported on Tuesday that the census process will start in 2025 and is likely to be completed by 2026. That the census is finally going to happen after an inordinate delay is a welcome development. The census provides a treasure trove of data about several social and economic indicators in addition to the head count. It is also the proverbial north star for designing many other surveys and data sets. A delayed census has had an adverse effect on this wisdom and associated decisions. One would hope that an electronic enumeration for the census — a lot of government surveys are already being conducted on handheld electronic devices — will lead to faster dissemination of data and compensate for some of the delay in conducting the exercise.

To be sure, the 2021 (or 2025) Census is likely to be more controversial than its predecessors. One reason for this is the now widespread demand that the census also enumerate other castes along with Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) it has been counting on a sub-caste basis. Another is related to the link, however tenuous, between the National Population Register, National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act, especially in India’s eastern states such as West Bengal and Assam.

It is important that the Union government reaches out to build a widespread political consensus on these questions so that the census process, once it is started, is not held hostage. This is not just a normative point. Given the fact that state governments primarily provide the boots on the ground for conducting the exercise, a bipartisan consensus is a must for the conduct of the census. This census will provide the basis for two key changes to India’s legislatures, namely, delimitation, which would potentially change the proportion of state-wise representation in Parliament, and implementation of women’s reservation in central and state legislatures, which makes a widespread political consensus even more important.

Last but not the least is a technical point. There are indications that the government may be considering a shift in future census periods to 2035, 2045 and so on. Is that the most prudent way forward or should the 2025 census be taken as a one-off and another one conducted in 2031? The government would do well to listen to subject experts on this question.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it’s all here, just a click away! –Login Now!