Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday pressed the government to initiate the long-overdue decadal census along with a caste census, citing that the delay is depriving a large section of the population of welfare benefits.
Speaking during the Zero Hour, the senior Congress leader expressed deep concern over the unprecedented delay in conducting the census, an exercise that India has carried out every ten years since 1881, even during times of war and crisis.
He recalled that a caste-based census was conducted along with the general census in 1931. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Kharge said, “Just as periodic medical checkups are essential for assessing health, a census is the most important checkup for a nation.”
Highlighting the significance of the census, Kharge pointed out that it gathers crucial data beyond population figures, including employment rates, family structures, and socio-economic conditions. Despite challenges such as World War II and the Indo-Pak war of 1971-72, India had never failed to conduct a census until now.
“This government has created history with an unprecedented delay in the census,” he said. He argued that conducting a caste census alongside the regular census is feasible since the government already collects data on Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Kharge criticized the government’s silence on both the decadal and caste census and pointed out that 81% of the countries worldwide have successfully completed their census despite the COVID-19 pandemic. He accused the government of showing reluctance, citing the meager budget allocation of only Rs 575 crore for the census this year.
The Congress leader warned of serious consequences due to the delay, emphasizing that policies formulated without updated data risk being arbitrary and ineffective. Several key welfare programs, including the Consumer Survey, National Family Health Survey, Periodic Labour Force Survey, National Food Security Act, and National Social Assistance Programme, depend on census data for proper implementation.
“Many eligible beneficiaries are being left out of welfare schemes due to outdated data. Policy decisions are being made in the absence of reliable figures,” Kharge stated.
Concluding his remarks, he urged the government to take immediate steps to conduct the decadal census and caste census without any further delay.
