Need for a timely census

30 Sep 2023 8 mins Download PDF

Need for a timely census

Why in the News?

The conduction of 2021 Census got delayed due to the pandemic, while the implementation of the women's quota has been tied to the delimitation exercise, which in turn will be based on the first census after 2026.

What is the need for Census?

1. Data availability has increased in the present times which raises questions on need for a Census.
   1. The digital economy generates a lot of data such as telecom and internet data which can guide policymakers.
   2. With the rollback of the centralised plan economy and broader acceptance of the ‘minimum government’ paradigm, government’s dependence on one central database for policy decisions has come down.
   3. Other independent data such as surveys done by private firms, also offer the govt with reliable data.
2. A country like US have considered stopping their census and rely on the American Community Survey (ACS) that carries on continuously (every month, every year) and provides vital information on a yearly basis. However, Census was decided to be carried forward as
   1. It is a constitutional requirement to have a census.
   2. ACS being a survey, covers only a fraction of population and can leave out important segments of the population from the policy perspective such as migrants and the homeless.
3. Need for Census in India:
   1. Relying on other source of data such as administrative statistics, runs the risk of many Indians fall outside of their scope, such as migrant workers.
   2. Comparability of data across the country and over time is possible using Census data.
      • For instance, the Management Information System data has huge standardisation issues across states.
      • Every government department has an MIS system, each one follows its own set of data standards, definitions etc., making comparability a huge problem.
   3. Census can act as a reality check on administrative data, as the latter can be faulty for a variety of reasons, ranging from neglect to incompetence to corruption.
      • For instance, the PM announced India as open defecation free with toilets in every household based on the administrative data, while the later NFHS revealed that 30% of the households don’t have toilets.

How the Census delay hurts:

1. Data and the statistical system
   1. Census being the foundation of the entire statistical system of the country, household surveys draw their sample based on the census data.
   2. Delayed Census can cause distortion the original picture and fail to be representative of the reality.
   3. The quality of survey data also becomes questionable.
   4. Some metrics of data will begin to falter as the census gets delayed:
      1. Rural-urban population distribution
      2. Internal migration, as it changes quite rapidly.
      3. Mortality data, which is vital for age-distribution projections and assessing policies such as old-age pension requirements.
2. Policymaking
   1. Almost all the major policies are decided on the basis of census data.
   2. For instance, delay in census is resulting in exclusion of genuine beneficiaries under the NFSA, as the act specifies a ratio of population that needs to get the benefits (up to 75% of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population).
   3. Census data becomes vital for not only framing policies but also in assessing whether policies have been effective or not.
3. Private sector:
   1. Census plays as a benchmark for such private surveys.
   2. Census provides micro-level data of heterogeneous India which is important for micro-marketing/ targeted marketing to specific groups of people. 
   3. Private firms also make decisions based on census numbers.
      1. For instance, Data on migration to urban areas gives a good understanding of the region-wise infrastructure needs in the country. 
      2. Similarly, census provides a good understanding of penetration of consumer durables (such as two-wheelers, cars and TVs etc.) in different regions.