CM Stalin raises delimitation issue, MHA says Shah assures concerns will be addressed
The spokesperson said the Census was originally scheduled for 2021 and all preparations were completed, but it had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the aftershocks of COVID-19 continued for a long time and disrupted many sectors, including education. Around 30 lakh enumerators are needed for the Census, and most of them are primary school teachers, who are key to the process.
Conducting the Census immediately after COVID-19, the spokesperson said, could have severely disrupted primary education. He also noted that countries that carried out their Census soon after the pandemic faced issues related to the quality and coverage of data.
The government has now decided to begin the Census process and complete it by March 1, 2027, which will be the reference date for most of the country.
He clarified that the budget has never been an issue for conducting the Census, as the government always ensures adequate funding.
India's 16th Census, which will include caste enumeration, will be conducted in 2027. The reference date for snow-bound areas like Ladakh will be October 1, 2026, while for the rest of the country it will be March 1, 2027. The MHA said the Population Census 2027 will be carried out in two phases along with the caste count.
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