Census 2021 will collect OBC data
New Delhi, Aug 31 : India, the second most populous country with 1.34 billion people, will soon begin a census operation which will for the first time include a count of the backward classes.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh discussed with officials the roadmap for the 16th decennial count, one of the largest administrative exercises, which will involve 25 lakh enumerators and deployment of a new tool-georeferencing - which makes it possible to locate by physical place, an official statement said.
The last census of 2010 counted the population at 1.21 billion, which was made public as a provisional data in 2011.
The 2021 exercise, the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India, will use improved technological intervention to ensure that the whole data is finalized within three years, the statement said.
The inclusion of OBC count in the census assumes significance against the backdrop of constant clamour for a share in the pie of reservation and the lack of authentic data about various castes and subcastes. The Mandal Commission had put the OBC at 52 per cent of the population.
Nearly 25 lakh enumerators have been trained and engaged for the gigantic exercise, the statement said.
It was in 1872 the first census was conducted in India non-synchronously in different parts.
The meeting reviewed the functioning of the office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner in which Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Registrar General of India Sailesh participated.
"Rajnath Singh discussed the roadmap for undertaking the Census in 2021. It was envisaged to collect data on OBC for the first time. Use of maps, georeferencing at the time of house listing is also under consideration," said the statement.
It was emphasised that improvements in design and technological interventions be made to ensure that the Census data was finalized within three years after the Census operation, said the statement. At present, it takes seven to eight years to release the complete data.
For the latest exercise, Rajnath Singh emphasised the need of improvement in civil registration system, especially on registration of births and deaths in remote areas, and strengthening sample registration system for estimating the data like Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Ratio and Fertility Rates.
The last Census was conducted under the UPA regime in 2011 in two phases - House Listing and Housing Census (April to September 2010) and Population Enumeration (February 9 to 28 in 2011).
Reports released on March 31, 2011 revealed that the Indian population increased to 1.21 billion with a decadal growth of 17.64 per cent.
The responsibility of conducting the decennial Census, a statutory exercise conducted under the provisions of the Census Act 1945, rests with the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Home Ministry.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
