Page 4 - Census

Govt extends census commissioner Mritunjay Narayan's tenure till 2026

The central deputation of Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, currently serving as Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, has been extended till August 2026, paving the way for him to lead the team to carry out the much-delayed decadal census of India. Narayan is a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre and he is holding the key post under the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2020. "The President is pleased to extend the central deputation tenure of Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS (UP:1995), Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs beyond 06.12.2024 for a period up to 04.08.2026 or until further orders whichever is earlier. The Headquarters of Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS (UP:1995) will be New Delhi," according to an official notification. The house listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR) were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020 b

Will long-delayed census be used for allocation of seats in LS: Congress

The Congress on Monday asked whether the long-delayed census would be used for allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha and said the success of South Indian states in family planning should not end up reducing their political representation in Parliament. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the South Indian states should not be be penalised for their success in family planning and suitable formulae should be worked out to ensure that this does not happen. He said South Indian states were pioneers in family planning. First to reach replacement levels of fertility was Kerala in 1988, followed by Tamil Nadu in 1993, Andhra Pradesh in 2001 and Karnataka in 2005, he pointed out. However, there have been concerns voiced for quite some time now that these successes could end up reducing the political representation of these states in Parliament, Ramesh said. "That is why in 2001 the Vajpayee Govt amended the Constitution (Article 82) to make the readjustmen

1st state-sponsored census in Odisha reveals presence of 696 leopards

The first state-sponsored leopard census conducted in Odisha has revealed the presence of 696 leopards in different forest areas of the state, officials said. The census report was released by the state's Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia during an event to celebrate the State Wildlife Week here on Thursday. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had conducted the last leopard census in Odisha in 2022, during which 568 leopards were found. The population of leopards in the state was 760, as per the 2018 NTCA census. Commenting on the All Odisha Leopard Estimation', Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife, Susanta Nanda said about 200 leopards were located in the Similipal Tiger Reserve and surrounding areas, which is the highest in the state. The Satkosia landscape turned out to be another promising site for these animals, boasting the second-highest leopard population in the state at 150, Nanda said. During the cen

Govt to announce national census very soon, details to be made public: Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the government will "very soon" make an announcement for carrying out the census in the country. "We will announce it very soon," Shah said in response to a question on conducting the decadal census of the Indian population which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shah, along with I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, was addressing a press conference to mark the 100 days of the third tenure of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We will make all the details public when we announce the census," the Union home minister said to questions on the caste census. India has conducted the census every 10 years since 1881. The first phase of this decade's census was expected to begin on April 1, 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shah's comments on the census comes amid vociferous demands political parties on conducting a caste census. In the absence of fresh data, the government agencies are ..

'Govt to get census underway soon, One Nation One Election also on cards'

Sources say the ruling NDA government is committed to hold simultaneous general and assembly elections

Census likely to be held soon; no decision yet on caste column: Report

The government has started preparations for conducting the decadal census, but a decision is yet to be taken on including a column on caste as part of the exercise, sources said on Sunday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one source said that the decadal census will be conducted soon. India has conducted the census every 10 years since 1881. The first phase of this decade's census was expected to begin on April 1, 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, enacted by Parliament last year, too is linked to the conduct of the decadal census. The law reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies shall come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken based on the relevant figures of the first census recorded after the Act has come into force. "This is yet to be decided," the source said when asked about inclusion of a column on caste in the decadal census. The politic

Centre dissolves key statistics panel; Oppn alleges link to census demand

The Congress criticised the Centre for dissolving the Standing Committee on Statistics, claiming it was due to their questions about the delayed 2021 Census

RSS backs caste census for welfare, opposes its use for electoral purposes

Ever since the Opposition INDIA bloc demanded a caste census, the BJP leadership had taken to talk of welfare of the four 'castes', namely, women, the poor, farmers, and youth

'Domain of governance': SC refuses to entertain plea for caste census

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the Centre for conducting a socio-economic caste census for the welfare of backward and other marginalised sections, saying the issue falls in the domain of governance. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti allowed the petitioner P Prasad Naidu to withdraw his plea in which he had sought a direction for expediting the enumeration of data for census. "What can be done about this? The issue is in the domain of governance. It is a policy matter," the bench told senior advocate Ravishankar Jandyala and advocate Sravan Kumar Karanam, appearing for the petitioner. Jandyala submitted that several countries have done it but India is yet to do. "The Indra Sawhney judgement of 1992 (Mandal Commission verdict) has said that this census has to be done periodically," he contended. The bench told him it was dismissing the petition as the court could not interfere in the issue. Sensing the mood of the court

'Such clarity on census delayed for over three yrs': Cong takes dig at Shah

The Congress on Sunday took a swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks that an announcement on a census would be made once it was finalised, saying "such clarity on a census that has already been delayed for over three years". The opposition party's remarks came a day after Shah said the decadal census exercise would be carried out at an appropriate time and an announcement made when it was decided. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The self-styled Chanakya has just dropped a bombshell. Yesterday, in Chhattisgarh, he let out a top secret. He said that the census will be carried out at an appropriate time and that an announcement will be made for it when it is decided." "Wow. Such clarity on a census that has already been delayed for over 3 years!" Ramesh said in a post on X. The house listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the National Population Register were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1

Caste census required for 90% people sitting out of system: Rahul Gandhi

Pressing the demand for a nationwide "caste census", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said 90 per cent people of the country are sitting out of the system and the step would be is necessary for them. Addressing the "Samvidhan Samman Sammelan" here, Gandhi said, "90 per cent people are sitting out of the system. They have skill, knowledge but no connections (with the system). That is why we have raised the demand for a caste census." "For the Congress, the caste census is the foundation of policy making," the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Census to happen at right time; Article 370 will never be restored: Shah

The decadal census will be carried out at an appropriate time and it will be announced when it is decided, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday. The house listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR) were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020 but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "The census will be carried out at an appropriate time. We will make an announcement for it when it is decided," Shah said at a press conference here replying to a question on it. The home minister is on a three-day visit to Chhattisgarh during which he discussed the Naxal problem with top civil and security officials of Maoists-hit states on Saturday. The census operation continues to be on hold and the government has not yet announced the new schedule. Several opposition parties have been demanding a caste census. However, so far there has been no announcement by the government on this ..

Can Modi 3.0 beat the 3C trap of caste, coalition and Constitution?

Modi govt preparing for Census leads us to examine a new reality, marked by 3 Cs - caste, coalition and Constitution. The BJP machine could take all 3 in its stride, but this election has changed that

Census likely to begin in Sept as govt looks to plug data gaps: Report

It will take about 18 months to complete the new survey after it begins next month, two government sources directly involved in the matter said

Strengthening statistics: Why India needs periodic and reliable data

It is important for policymakers in a rapidly changing economy to have timely and accurate data for making effective policy interventions

Govt may expand census to include more questions around caste: Reports

Officials are now debating whether to add a third caste category, called "other backward class" to the questionnaire or whether to conduct a separate caste survey

Eighth Economic Census likely next year; data for seventh awaited

Centre asks states, UTs to submit funds and manpower requirements to start work on 8th Census

Elephant census delayed in northeast; final count likely in June 2025

India will have to wait until June next year for the results of the latest elephant census, as the population estimation has been delayed in some northeastern states, sources said. Wild elephants are found in forested, hilly tracts across four regions of India: the foothills of the Himalayas in the north, the northeastern states, east-central India, and the Western and Eastern Ghats in the southern parts of the country. A source told PTI that data collection and analysis from the northeast have not yet been completed. The primary reasons for the delay in the region are "heavy monsoon rains, floods and the limited capacity" of the forest staff, the sources added. The entire process involves creating shapefiles, capacity building, data collection, and data processing. As a result, the numbers from the latest elephant estimation exercise will only be available by June next year, they said. SM Sahai, the Chief Wildlife Warden of Meghalaya, told PTI that the elephant population estima

Oppn demands for caste census, tax on rich, GST removal on insurance in RS

Opposition members in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday pressed for a caste census, imposition of super rich tax, and removal of GST levy on life and medical insurance premiums. Participating in a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation No. 3 Bill, 2024 in the Upper House, Raghav Chadha of the Aam Aadmi Party expressed happiness at the indexation benefit being "partially restored". However, he said, this poses a "huge question mark" over the central government's tax policies. "... How confused is our country's taxation policy. On 23 July 2024, you say that you are taking away the indexation benefit from investors and exactly after two weeks, you say that you are not taking it away but restoring it. This shows that when you, without thinking, not acting on the advice of an economist, if you devise the Budget on the advice of those who do not have economic knowledge, these kind of flip flops will be witnessed," he said. Taking away indexation from an Indian investor is equivalent to

Paswan backs caste census but says if made public, data will create divide

Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has pitched for a nationwide caste census but warned against making the figures public as it will lead to "division" in society, and said no discussion within the ruling NDA has taken place so far over simultaneous polls and the Uniform Civil Code, both part of the BJP's manifesto. In an interaction with PTI editors, he flagged concerns about the UCC and said he cannot take a position unless a draft on it is placed before him. He, however, asserted that his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) strongly supports the concept of simultaneous polls. Asked about his views on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and if he supports it, Paswan said, "We don't have a draft for it yet. Until unless we go through that draft, because there are a lot of concerns... India is a country of diversities." Be it language, culture or lifestyle, everything is different in different regions of the country, he said, wondering "how can you bring everyone under one