A fresh population census is likely to be delayed as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday allocated ₹1,309.46 crore for the decadal exercise, a significant reduction from 2021-22 when ₹3,768 crore was set aside for it.
The last census was conducted in India in 2011 and the next was supposed to be held in 2021.
According to the budget 2024-25, ₹1,309.46 crore has been allocated for census surveys and statistics, which was ₹578.29 in 2023-24. “The entire census and NPR exercise is likely to cost the government over ₹12,000 crore,” said a home ministry official.
Congress general secretary and communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh said on X: “It is highly disappointing that the finance minister’s announcement on data and statistics makes no mention of releasing funds for the decadal population census that was supposed to have taken place in 2021 but has still not been conducted.”
This, he said, is the first time since Independence that the government has failed to conduct a census on time.
“The consequences in the state’s administrative capabilities are serious — one example being the 10-12 crore individuals who have been excluded from the ambit of the National Food Security Act. It also means that the government will likely continue to avoid a socio-economic caste census, despite calls from its own NDA partners for the same.”
On December 24, 2019, the Union cabinet approved the proposal for a India 2021 census for ₹8,754.23 crore and updating the National Population Register (NPR) for ₹3,941.35 crore.
