The next Census

Sub : Polity

Sec: Msc

Context:

The Centre is set to conduct the Census, which was postponed in 2021 due to COVID-19. While an official announcement is awaited, sources indicate it may begin next year.
The Census is crucial for delimiting Parliamentary constituencies and implementing women’s reservation in Parliament.
The 128th Constitution Amendment reserves 33% of seats for women but will only take effect after delimitation.

About Census:

The census provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.
The Census is listed as item 69 on the Union List, meaning only the Central government can conduct it.
The Census of India Act of 1948 provides a legal basis but lacks stipulations on timing or periodicity. There is no constitutional or legal mandate for conducting a Census every 10 years.
A systematic and modern population census was conducted 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.
2021 was the first year since 1881 that the decennial Census was not conducted.

Process of conducting Census:

Two-step process:
- House-listing and Numbering: Conducted the year before the Census (April-September).
- Population Enumeration: Takes place in the second to fourth weeks of February in the Census year.
The numbers revealed represent the population of India as of midnight on March 1 in the Census year.
To account for the births and deaths during the enumeration period in February, the enumerators return to the households in the first week of March to make revisions.

Census and Delimitation:

Delimitation, as mandated by the constitution, is supposed to happen after every Census.
The process adjusts the number of constituencies of Parliament and state Assemblies in accordance with the latest population figures, to ensure that the number of people represented by any Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly is roughly the same.

Suspension of Delimitation:

Delimitation exercise has been suspended since 1976 so that states’ family planning programs would not affect their political representation in the Lok Sabha.
As of now, delimitation is suspended till at least 2026. According to the 84th Constitutional Amendment of 2001, the next delimitation can be held only based on the Census conducted after 2026.
Even if the 2021 Census had occurred on time, delimitation could only take place after the 2031 Census. However, if the Census, which takes two years to complete, starts next year, delimitation could occur immediately afterward.
Southern states, which have succeeded in population control, fear losing representation if delimitation is based on current data. Previous delimitation in 2002 only modified existing constituency boundaries without changing their numbers.

Caste Census:

There are calls for the upcoming Census to include caste data, potentially reducing the need for a separate caste census. Caste data collection was last conducted in 1941 and discontinued post-1951, focusing instead on Scheduled Castes and Tribes.