Better late than never. There are whispers that the Narendra Modi government is likely to conduct the decadal census exercise next year. This, if it does come to pass, would be a welcome development. According to the government, the census, a crucial endeavour for a welfare State, had been delayed apparently on account of the Covid pandemic. India thus found itself among 44 out of 233 nations that did not conduct its latest census. Incidentally, of the 189 nations that did embark upon their censuses, 143 countries did so after the pandemic had struck. But not Mr Modi’s India, even though the country was not afflicted by such disturbances as conflict, civil strife, economic crises — these were some of the reasons behind the failure of the other nations to finish the enumeration exercise. India must not miss the 2025 deadline: the identification of beneficiaries as well as the reach of targeted welfare policies cannot take place in the absence of data collated by the census.

Political unanimity is expected when it comes to India conducting its census. But two other engagements related to the census may elude such a political consensus. The first concerns the demand for a caste census. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the sangh parivar, despite the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s tepid agreement for the sake of people’s welfare, are opposed to such a project ideologically. But the Opposition and some of BJP’s allies are hell-bent on it. The second is the delimitation exercise, which involves the affixation of the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies in each state for the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies; it is supposed to follow once the census is completed. Some of the southern states, which are anxious about a reduction in their political representation ironically on account of their success at controlling their populations, are rightfully aggrieved about the possible outcome of delimitation. What is needed is a broader, representative consultation on some of the thorny issues integral to these processes. The Centre will do well to heed the demand of the Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, for an all-party meeting to discuss and resolve the two issues. The caste census and delimitation are not merely bureaucratic engagements aligned with the vision of collective welfareism. They could also be seen as litmus tests for India’s federal edifice.