Prelims Census

Census

• Definition:
• A decennial (every 10 years) enumeration of population covering demographic, social, and economic data.
• Conducted by:
• Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India under the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Legal basis:
• Census Act, 1948
• First Census in India:
• 1872 (non-synchronous)
• First complete census: 1881
• Latest Census:
• 2011
• (2021 Census delayed/postponed)
• Key Features:
• Covers entire population
• Conducted in two phases:

1. House Listing & Housing Census
2. Population Enumeration

• Data is confidential (not used for legal purposes)
• Importance (UPSC):
• Basis for policy planning & welfare schemes
• Helps in delimitation, resource allocation
• Key for socio-economic indicators
• Extra point:
• Census is a Union subject (Entry 69, Union List)