Centre will table bill on nationwide Census in upcoming Parliament session, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the Centre would table a new bill on the nationwide census in the upcoming Parliament session. He said the new census data will be helpful in making the basic plan of development and providing basic amenities to the underprivileged and exploited, an India Today report said.

“The new census will become the basis for developing the country in an inclusive manner. Earlier, it was not accurate and there was no link between the Census and the people making development plans," the home minister said on Monday.

It is to be noted that the last Census was conducted in 2011. The latest Census was indefinitely delayed due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The Centre rolled out its Census 2021 plans and allocated Rs 8,754.23 crore for it, under which 3.3 million enumerators were to be mobilised for data collection for the exercise.

It was to be carried out in two phases -- the first from April to September 2020 and the second in February 2021. But the decadal exercise had to be postponed at the second level due to the pandemic.

“New nationwide census will be precise and effective, unlike the censuses that were carried out in the last 70 years. Due to inaccurate information, the right budget couldn’t be prepared in a time-bound manner,” said the union minister while speaking at an event in Delhi on Monday.

Earlier, the officials used to take 12 months to complete pre-census activities and census enumeration. The onus of census exercise falls on the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (ORGI), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Shah added that the Centre will be floating a provision that would help a person get a voter card as soon as he turns 18.

 “The Centre is planning to introduce a provision where as soon as a person turns 18, the Election Commission of India will take information from him and make his voter card. In case of the death of someone, the census registrar will send the information to the Election Commission and his name will be removed from the voters' list," Shah said.

The Home Minister said that registration of birth and death will be made online and a Bill on it will be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament. "From today, online sale of all census publications has started, this will benefit planners and researchers," Shah added.

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