Explained: Census 2021 - Times of India

April 2020 should have seen the first steps taken in the 16th Census of India. By February 2021, the population enumeration was to have begun. But the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the government’s plans, and the census has been postponed. Revised dates are yet to be announced. When that happens, it will be a census different from anything India has seen before. Here’s everything you should know about this decennial exercise. medium82113253Why does the Census even matter?The Census in India is the basis for reviewing the country's progress in the past decade, assessing the impact of ongoing government schemes and establishing goalposts for the future. The gathered data also provides valuable information for planning and formulation of policies, both at the Central and State levels. For instance, on the basis of the 2011 Census, the Modi government had planned 22 welfare schemes related to electricity connection to every home, gas connections, road construction, houses for the poor, toilets, opening of bank branches, and more.When will the Census exercise begin?The government may postpone Census 2021 by a year or more. In March, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs plotted a revised timeline in its report on the Demands for Grants for the ministry. However, actual dates are yet to be finalised. The fieldwork for the first phase of Census 2021 — focussing on data on housing conditions, household amenities and assets possessed by the households — is likely to be carried out sometime in 2021-22, perhaps in the second half if the Covid situation improves. According to the panel report, the National Population Register (NPR) updation exercise will be carried out simultaneously with this phase of the Census.The fieldwork for the population enumeration phase of the Census has been pushed back by a year and is now scheduled for 2022-23. During this period, data collection will focus on demography, religion, caste, language, literacy and education, economic activity, migration and fertility. medium82113545Apart from delaying the exercise, what impact will Covid-19 have on the Census?A revised data collection timeline is not the only impact that the pandemic will have on Census 2021 — even the results may be affected. The unique circumstances forced by COVID-19 are bound to have an impact on the gathered data and, hence, the forthcoming Census will be the first one to deal with large-scale yet transient changes. According to the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, which is responsible for conducting the Census, several data categories may be affected. This includes Census measures relating to migration, workers, fertility, proportion of population attending educational institutions, the rural-urban distribution of population, ownership status and access to the Internet.The trouble is that any distorted, skewed or tainted data collected during the Census is bound to have widespread ramifications on ongoing welfare schemes and establishing goalposts for the future. medium82113332Is this the first time the Census has been delayed?According to government functionaries, unlike many countries where the law specifically dictates the timing and frequency of Census, the law in India does not mandate a decennial exercise. So there is no legal impediment to postponing it. It has happened before. In 1971, the Census enumeration was delayed by a few months because it otherwise clashed with the mid-term parliamentary election that year.Is it true that this Census will be entirely paperless?According to a parliamentary panel report, mobile apps and web applications have been developed for both the phases of Census 2021. The app will be available in the 16 languages in which Census is conducted and enumerators will be expected to use their smartphones for the collection of data by downloading these apps. The digital procedure will likely mean that the results will get published sooner than for Census 2011, which only became public seven years later.The NPR exercise too has been made paperless and digital. Thanks to the option of self-enumeration for NPR, house listing and population enumeration, residents will be able to respond to interview questions online before Census workers come calling. medium82113453What does self-enumeration mean?Self-enumeration for the first phase will allow residents to enter details like housing conditions, housing amenities and assets possessed either on the census app or the Central Monitoring and Management System (CMSS) portal. For the first time, the questionnaire will seek information on the main cereal consumed in a household and whether a transgender person heads a family. A reference code will be generated and shared later with the enumerators during their field visit. In the second phase, people can use the same options to self-enumerate data on religion, literacy, language, SC/ST status, economic activity, migration and fertility. The questionnaire for the population enumeration has not yet been notified.For NPR updation, residents will have to key in demographic details such as name, parents' name, date and place of birth, nationality, voter ID, Aadhaar (voluntary), mobile number, and the like. For the first time, additional information on an individual’s mother tongue and the place of birth of their parents will reportedly be asked.According to government sources, a pre-test for the mobile app and the CMSS portal has already been completed. The pre-test covered one location in every state and Union Territory.How safe is private data on these apps?On the safety of census and NPR data, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that three data centres have been established at Delhi, Lucknow and Bengaluru to host applications and databases. It added that all possible security mechanisms have been integrated into the mobile apps and data centres.Most important, how long will we wait to know the results of the Census (whenever it is carried out)?The Provisional Census Results will be released in 2023-24 and, according to the report, the Primary Census Abstract Data Tables will provide village-level data on several important indicators. The final Census results — data tables are expected to number over 250 — will be released in 2024-25 and the curtains will come down on all Census-related activities. 82113487Given the yet-undetermined timelines and the unabating surge in COVID-19 cases, speculation is rife that Census 2021 may be pushed back to 2022. However, Census 2021 still has its reference date as March 1, 2021 -- October 2020 for the snow-bound Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. This means that anyone born after these dates, or those who died before these dates, will be excluded from the exercise.