Friends, you all are aware that census in India is done every 10 years, and new figures are then published about the total population and other data. Recently you must have come across National Population Register (NPR). Now most of us are confused between NPR and census. In today’s blog , I would like to write about the differences between them :
The govt is all set to to carry out two mega exercises-the Census and updating the data of the NPR across the country, now let us see what is what :
NPR– It is a register of usual residents of the country. It is being prepared at the local (village/sub town) , sub district, district, state and national level under the provision of the Citizenship Act 1955, and the Citizenship (registration of citizenship and issue of national identity cards) Rules 2003.
A usual resident is defined, for the purpose of NPR, as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for 6 months. The objective of NPR, being carried out under the aegis of the Registrar General of India and ex Officio Census Commissioner, India, is to create a comprehensive identity data base of every usual resident in the country. The demographic details of every individual; are required for every usual resident : name, relationship to the head of the household, father’s name, mother’s name, spouse’s name (if married), sex, date & place of birth, nationality, duration of stay at present address, permanent residential address, occupation, educational qualifications.
The data for NPR was collected in 2010 along with house listing phase of 2011 census. Updating of this data was done during 2015 by conducting door to door survey.
The Census– It is being carried out every 10 years, and is the largest single source of variety of information on different characteristics of the people of India conducted on the basis of the Census Act 1948. The census 2021 will be done in 2 phases, in the first phase, the work of house listing or housing census will be conducted from Apr to Sep 2020. In the second phase, the enumeration of population will be done from 9th Feb 2o21 to 28th Feb 2021, with reference moment as 00.00 hours of 1st Mar 2021. For snow bound areas in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal & Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 1st Oct 2021.
The census is the basis for reviewing the progress of country in past decade, monitoring the ongoing schemes of the govt and plan for the future. the Census provide detailed and authentic information on demography, economic activity, literacy & education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, schedule castes and schedule tribes, language, religion, migration, disability etc.
The enumerators also collect data related to cultivators and agricultural labourers, their sex, occupational classifications of workers in non households industry, trade, business, profession or service class of worker and sex. There will be detailed survey on gender and literacy rate, number of towns, slum households, and their population. Information is also collected on sources of potable water, energy, irrigation, method of farming, whether a house is concrete, thatched or others.Census first started in India in 1872, with a history of almost 150 years, this reliable time tested exercise has been given the govt wealth of statistics on the size of population, its growth etc. The organisation which is holding census comes under Home Affairs Ministry, Registrar General and ex Officio Census Commissioner of India.
I do not understand why many politicians are against the holding of NPR by Modi Govt. It is not the first time the NPR exercise is happening in India. In my opinion they are afraid this exercise might reveal the illegal immigrants in the country, but even if that comes out then what is wrong in the process. These politicians are instigating people that they should not allow the enumerators of NPR to enter their houses and not to show them any papers. It only means that either these politicians have not understood the NPR exercise and they are too dumb to understand the same, or secondly they are instigating the people of one religion for non cooperation to NPR so that some illegal immigrants can become part of their vote banks. It has come out in so many social medias that most of the immigrants have made the Aadhar, PAN and Voter ID cards by bribing the staff of particular department in league with these self centred politicians, who care two hoots for the nation.
What you say my friends.
Awaiting your feed backs/views/comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
17th Feb 2020.
R. N. Mungale.
Very good information.