Census

Subject : Polity

The census provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.
During the regime of the Mughal king Akbar, the administrative report ‘Ain-e-Akbari’ included comprehensive data pertaining to population, industry, wealth and many other characteristics.
A systematic and modern population census, in its present form was conducted non synchronously between 1865 and 1872 in different parts of the country.
However, the first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly once every ten years.
The decennial Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs.