2027 Census to begin after Covid delay and political row | Fusion - WeRIndia

India’s next Population Census is set to begin early next year, with March 1, 2027, as the reference date.

Originally scheduled for 2021, the decadal Census was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Union Home Ministry clarified that the delay had been necessary to avoid disrupting primary education.

Officials explained that most of the 30 lakh required enumerators were primary school teachers.

Conducting the Census immediately after the pandemic could have seriously affected schooling.

The Ministry said that although preparations for the 2021 Census had been completed, the outbreak had forced them to defer the exercise.

They noted that countries which went ahead with post-Covid censuses had faced challenges with data quality and coverage.

Alongside the population count, the government also plans to conduct a nationwide caste enumeration.

This marks the first caste-based data collection since 1931 in independent India.

The announcement drew political criticism, especially from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.

He claimed that the Centre had postponed the Census to reduce Tamil Nadu’s share of parliamentary seats during the upcoming delimitation process.

He alleged that the BJP’s intentions were becoming clear and pointed out that he had previously warned about such a move.

In response, the Ministry reiterated that the Home Minister had consistently assured southern states that their concerns regarding delimitation would be addressed through consultations.

Officials said these discussions would take place at an appropriate time. The Ministry confirmed that the Census process would begin soon and that March 1, 2027, would be the official reference date.

It added that funding had never been an obstacle, as the government had always ensured the required budget.

The 2027 Census is expected to provide a vital demographic and social snapshot of the country.

The government is now focused on ensuring the enumeration is accurate and disruption-free.

Image Credit: Bhvintri, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:District_wise_Muslim_population_percentage_India_census_2011.png