Latest news with #16thCensusofIndia
The Hindu
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Accessing Jarawa one of the oldest surviving hunter-gather tribes for census will not be tough: Experts
Conducting census among the six main indigenous tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will not be tough as the Central Government has already made contact and are running several welfare measures for these tribes, said physician Ratan Chandra Kar, speaking exclusively to The Hindu. The Government has formally announced that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026. This census will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. Dr. Kar who played an important role in providing healthcare to the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands began his work with the tribes in 1998, combating a devastating measles outbreak in 1999 that threatened the tribe's existence. The Jarawas are one of the world's oldest surviving tribes and are mostly hunter-gatherers, living in nomadic bands of 40-50 individuals. 'Currently the population of the Jarawa tribe has grown from 260 to 647 which is good steady growth,'' he said. Explaining the population growth trajectory of the tribe he said that in the month of September 1998, Jarawas met the local population. 'At that time, their population was 260 and as of today, their population has increased to 647. This increase has been possible and achieved on account of the Central Government's successful attempt to establish meaningful contact with them, winning their trust and developing friendly relations,' he said. Dr. Kar added that the Government has been able to provide sustained, targeted, and proactive medical care as and when required and because of this 'we have successfully countered all such occurrences of new diseases/infections (measles, malaria, conjunctivitis, mumps, hepatitis, and others) without any significant mortality. The policy decision taken to provide proactive and preventive medical coverage without interfering in their own medicinal practices has led to this achievement of increase in population which currently stands at 647,' he explained, adding that this trust will ensure that officials get full access during the up-coming census activity. Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese, and Shompen. Speaking about the impact of Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) in terms of access and intrusion in the tribal settlement he said that the best chance of survival for the Jarawas is ``we leave them alone with minimal intervention''. 'The tribe doesn't suffer from any lifestyle disease including heart problems, diabetes, hypertension etc, deliveries are almost always normal and normal life span is up to 50 plus now. We only need to offer modern medical care as a supplement to their own system of natural medicine and immunity,' he said. Dr. Kar has suggested that the ATR while being the lifeline impacting few lakhs of people staying in South Andaman, Middle Andaman and North Andaman, brings Jarawas much closer to the local population. 'Regulating traffic movement through ATR will ensure that the balance of ensuring convenience of local population and keeping Jarawas at bay from local population. This is vital for their survival,' he added.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Daily subject-wise quiz: Polity and Governance MCQs on Census 2027, Model Prison Manual and more (Week 118)
UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of daily subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today's subject quiz on Polity and Governance to check your progress. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at With reference to the Census 2027, consider the following statements: 1. Data will be collected using mobile apps available only in Hindi and is not available in English and regional languages. 2. It will be the first digital census in the country. 3. This census will also include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. 4. The 16th Census of India will take place in a single phase. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four Explanation — During Census 2027, data would be collected using mobile apps available in English, Hindi, and different regional languages, with residents having the option of 'self-enumeration' via a dedicated web page, according to the Centre. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. — 'Census 2027 will be the country's first digital census, with data collected via Android and iOS mobile apps in English, Hindi, and regional languages. Enumerators/Supervisors will collect data on their own mobile devices,' the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on X. Hence, statement 2 is correct. — The government announced last month that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with reference dates set for March 1, 2027 for most of the country and October 1, 2026 for snow-bound and remote regions such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. This census will also feature the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. Hence, statement 3 is correct and statement 4 is not correct. — 'The census will be undertaken in two phases: phase one, Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO), will begin in April 2026, and phase two, Population Enumeration (PE), will be conducted. Enumeration of Caste: 'The caste of household members will be enumerated in the upcoming census,' the post stated. Both phases, HLO and PE, will allow for self-enumeration via a web interface. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. With reference to the Model Prison Manual, consider the following statements: 1. It is issued by the various state governments. 2. According to the manual, an average man requires 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day, while a person engaged in heavy labour requires a minimum of 2,800 calories. 3. The manual prohibits the management of the kitchen and the cooking of food based on caste or religion in prisons. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None Explanation — The Model Prison Manual issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs states that an average man requires 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day, while a person engaged in heavy labour requires a minimum of 2,800 calories. A woman, on the other hand, requires around 2,400 calories per day. The manual further specifies the nutrients required, including protein and vitamins. Since prisons are a state subject, the model manual states that the scale of the diet may be drawn based on the climatic conditions, as well as the needs and habits of prisoners in each state. Hence, statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct. — 'Prisoners who observe religious fasts may receive extra articles of food, or may have the whole or a part of their meal at a place and time of the day, as may be allowed by orders of the government for proper observance of fasts from them,' the model manual says. The manual also prohibits the management of the kitchen and the cooking of food based on caste or religion in prisons. Hence, statement 3 is correct. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. The government's powers to intercept communication are laid down in — and circumscribed by — 1. The Indian Post Office Act, 1898 2. The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 3. The Information Technology Act, 2000 Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 2 and 3 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Explanation — The government's powers to intercept communication is laid down in — and circumscribed by — three pieces of legislation. — The Indian Post Office Act, 1898 allows for the interception of communication through post; — The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 is used for tapping voice calls; and — The Information Technology Act, 2000 governs the interception of WhatsApp messages, emails, etc. — The right to free expression and the right to privacy are fundamental rights, and any infringement on these rights by surveillance is only authorised under strict constitutional conditions. — These grounds—the interest of India's sovereignty and integrity; the security of the state; cordial relations with foreign governments; public order; or preventing inducement to commit an offence—are specified as 'reasonable restrictions' under Article 19(2) of the Constitution. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. With reference to the term of office of Governor, consider the following statements: 1. The Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President. 2. A Governor shall hold office for a term of six years from the date on which he enters upon his office. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Explanation — The Governor holds office at the pleasure of the President. Hence, statement 1 is correct. — The Governor may resign his post in writing, sent to the President. — Subject to the above provisions of this article, a Governor shall serve for a period of five years beginning on the date he takes office. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. — Provided that, despite the expiration of his term, a Governor shall continue to maintain office until his successor takes office. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. (Source: Constitution of India) Which of the following articles of the Constitution of India provides for the separation of judiciary from executive? (a) Article 48 (b) Article 49 (c) Article 50 (d) Article 51 Explanation — Article 50 of the Constitution of India provides for the separation of judiciary from executive. — The State shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State. Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer. (Source: Constitution of India) Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 116) Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 117) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. 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Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Census 2027: Centre opens tender, invites bids from printers in Delhi-NCR
A month after announcing the date of the 16th Census, the Centre has opened a tender to empanel reputed printers for printing, binding and packaging of Census publications, schedules, forms, and instruction manuals by offset printing process, for two years. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (ORGI) has decided to open a tender from the offset printers situated in Delhi and NCR. 'For and on behalf of the President of India, the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, Ministry of Home Affairs, invites an open tender (in two bid system) from the offset printers located in Delhi/NCR,' it said. Last month, the government had formally announced that the 16th Census of India will be held and set March 1, 2027, as the reference date for most of the country, and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Census will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. The tender document states that the Indian Census is the most credible source of information on demography (population characteristics), economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, language, religion, migration, disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data since 1872. 'Forthcoming Census will be the 16th National Census of the Country. This is the only source of primary data in the village, town and ward level. It provides valuable information for planning and formulation policies for Central and the State Governments and is widely used by national and international agencies, scholars, business people, industrialists, and many more,' it said, adding that the decision to empanel reputed printers from the open market was taken with the approval of the competent authority. Explaining the scope of work, it said the empanelment of printers was to undertake the activities of composing (through DTP), scanning, plate making, printing including paper, binding, and packaging of ORGI's material like publications, forms, schedules, instruction manuals by the offset printing process. The documents will be printed in Hindi, English and regional languages. 'The payment will be released only after the successful completion of the job assigned within the stipulated time and satisfactory acceptance by this office. All proofs, negatives, positives, CRC/MSS, PDF and open file in soft copy, trial copies, spare copies will be the property of ORGI and have to be returned to ORGI along with the printed material,' it added. On Monday, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India said in a post on X, the Census will be conducted in two phases. 'Phase first; Houselisting and Housing Census will start from April 2026, and phase two; Population Enumeration. Census 2027 will be the first digital census in the country and data will be collected using mobile apps – both Android and iOS – in English, Hindi and regional languages. Enumerators/ Supervisors will use their own mobile device for data collection,' the post said. Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Census 2027 could help understand how caste hierarchy intersects with gender and religion: Sociologist Trina Vithayathil
The Union Home Ministry has issued a gazette notification announcing that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The 2027 census will also include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. Yet, the announcement raises urgent questions: Will this be a genuine step toward caste equity or another deflection? Historically, successive governments have promised caste enumeration only to backtrack. In her book, Counting Caste: Census Politics, Bureaucratic Deflection, and Brahmanical Power in India, sociologist Trina Vithayathil traces the institutional sabotage of caste data and the systemic refusal to acknowledge caste privilege. Drawing on years of fieldwork and interviews, her analysis provides a critical lens to understand today's developments. In an interview with she reflects on the meaning of caste enumeration, the myth of neutrality in data collection, and the deep-rooted power structures that shape India's census politics. Edited excerpts: Depending on the design and execution of caste-related questions in Census 2027, the census could provide a comprehensive understanding of how caste hierarchy intersects with gender, religion, education, literacy, occupation, household amenities, assets, and place of residence, among other socio-economic factors. The census could document the relational nature of caste, including how caste privilege and power operate for the first time since 1931. With regards to the institutionalisation of castelessness, scholars such as Professor Satish Deshpande have traced how political leaders from dominant castes muted their caste identities to represent all of India in the 1930s and construct a Congress 'majority'. They did so in response to Dr BR Ambedkar's demand for separate electorates, and continued to oppose many of his recommendations in independent India (for example, to expand reservations to additional caste-oppressed groups and enact a Hindu Code Bill to challenge caste and patriarchy in social life), which strived to build institutional mechanisms to safeguard the interests of marginalised communities including the election of leaders and the entry of bureaucrats committed to annihilating caste, patriarchy, and related systems of domination. Instead, the systems that reproduce caste-based privilege and power became obscured and were allowed to take on new forms that often appear consistent with democratic values. Census officials in independent India were eager to redirect time and energy away from the enumeration of caste, which they saw as an obsession of the colonial state but largely irrelevant in independent India. Caste, religion, and race were key social categories enumerated in colonial censuses, and census officials spent considerable time and resources creating caste lists and collecting, compiling, and publishing caste-wise data. Across colonial censuses, the state struggled to commensurate caste, that is, create a common metric or set of comparable categories within and across localised systems of caste hierarchy. Yet, marginalised groups also used these census data to make demands on the colonial state to address caste-based inequalities, including the under-representation of caste-oppressed groups and the restricted access to 'public' resources and institutions. Census data helped to make visible gross caste-related inequalities and assisted in the development of policies to address caste-based discrimination and exclusion. In contrast, political leaders in independent India argued that if the state focused on economic development, then caste hierarchy would dismantle itself; this view justified the decision to restrict the enumeration of caste in the census and squarely aligned with the strengthening of an ideology of castelessness. Though political leaders publicly backed caste enumeration in Census 2011, officials in the Home Ministry and Office of the Registrar General, India (ORGI) resisted, arguing it would compromise the census's accuracy. Framing the issue as technical rather than political, they sidelined advocates and shaped the decision-making process out of public view. This led to the exclusion of a caste-wise enumeration in the census on the grounds of protecting its 'integrity.' Political leaders obtained written support for a caste census from every political party but in the process secured operational latitude through a cleverly worded inquiry. Executive bureaucrats redirected the caste count to the National Population Register (NPR) but facing pressure proposed a separate caste census after the main Census 2011. This never materialized, and the caste count was instead folded into the Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey, later renamed the Socio-Economic Caste (SEC) Census. Years later, the resulting caste-wise data were deemed unusable and never published. The caste-wise enumeration in the SEC survey was undermined by an ideology of 'castelessness.' The first caste question lacked OBC and general category options required to classify approximately 77.5% of the population. The inclusion of 'other' and 'no caste/tribe' options further diluted a meaningful enumeration of caste. The second caste question failed to include a caste list for the catch-all 'other' option from the first question, resulting in unstandardised, unprocessable answers. Little effort was made to enumerate caste among religious minorities excluded from SC classification, neglecting tens of millions from caste-oppressed backgrounds. Without external oversight, future efforts may face the same fate. For more than 150 years, texts such as Jotirao Phule's Slavery and BR Ambedkar's States and Minorities have described the interwoven relationship between technocratic reasoning and Brahmanical power. Dr Ambedkar worried that if the executive bureaucracy remained in the hands of those dominated by Brahmanical ways of thinking, then social and political equality would not be possible — the state would fail to prioritise dismantling systems of caste- and gender-based discrimination and privilege in independent India. He foresaw how bureaucratic expertise and technocratic decision-making would reproduce existing hierarchies of power instead of correcting histories of exclusion. Technocratic reasoning is often incorrectly seen as apolitical and therefore caste and-gender-free; this gives experts leeway to make decisions with limited external scrutiny and allows for the perpetuation of Brahmanical ways of thinking. In the case of Census 2011, executive bureaucrats used technocratic language to steer a public conversation and convince the political leadership not to enumerate caste in the census. Non-experts had difficulty challenging the premise that somehow enumerating caste in the census would ruin the decadal population count. Technocratic reasoning (for where there is a high bar for entry) replaced a conversation over the importance of collecting caste-wise data for the administration of affirmative action, broader policy and programmatic purposes, and social justice concerns. Similarly, research from other parts of the world traces how technocracies threaten the ability for historically marginalised groups to shape the creation, design, and monitoring of public policies and programmes. The political leadership relocated the task of the caste enumeration from the Census of India after conceding to the ORGI's position that it would be too difficult to collect the caste-wise data in the census and could ruin the integrity of the census. Timing-wise, the planning of the BPL survey was almost complete, and so political leaders eventually decided to combine both projects and provided additional resources for a combined caste-wise enumeration and BPL survey. The state published BPL data from the SEC survey in 2015 and 2016, but the caste-wise data have yet to be published. An expert committee chaired by Professor Arvind Panagariya was created in 2015 to analyse the caste-wise data, but it's unclear who was on the committee, whether the committee met, and if the committee submitted a final report. The design of the caste-related questions and answer options in the SEC survey, the gaps in the enumerator training, and the burial of the collected data all highlight how the central government (across political administrations) has evaded the documentation of caste power and promoted the invisibility of caste-wise data. The Bihar caste survey data builds upon a history of local and regional political movements challenging an ideology of castelessness in the census. It also contests the castelessness narrative by making visible how caste hierarchy structures socioeconomic life. At the same time, the central government has repeatedly decentralised the enumeration of caste to state-level agencies (whether state governments, Backward Classes Commissions, or other entities) from the 1950s to the present day as a strategy to avoid a nationwide enumeration of caste in the census. Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
India Gazette
17-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"We plan to leverage advanced digital tools," says Odisha Census Director after MHA issues notification on census
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], June 17 (ANI): Odisha Census Director Nikhil Pawan Kalyan said preparations have begun for the enumeration exercise, including officer training and enumerator appointments, aiming for 100 per cent accuracy using digital tools. The Centre officially notified the launch of the 16th Census of India, including caste enumeration, with March 1, 2027, as the reference date. The Odisha Census Director further appealed to the citizens to cooperate and stay informed about the whole process. Speaking to ANI on Monday, Kalyan said, 'The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has issued a notification today announcing the launch of the upcoming population census across all the states and Union Territories, including Odisha... The reference date for the census is 12 AM, 1st March, 2027, meaning all enumeration and data-related activities must be completed based on this reference point. We will initiate our activities from now on... This includes training of officers, appointment of enumerators... We want to ensure a 100 per cent accurate census as data is the basis of all policies in the country... I appeal to all the citizens to cooperate and stay informed. We will share timely updates as operations progress... We plan to leverage advanced digital tools - including mobile applications for data collection, storage and other analytics...' On Monday, the central government notified the population census, the process of which will begin in March 2027. As per a gazette notification released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 'In exercise of the powers conferred by Section three of the Census Act 1948 and in suppression of the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs dated March 26, 2018, the Central Government declared that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027, as per a circular released by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 'The reference date for the census shall be March 1, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Furthermore, the reference date for the Union Territory of Ladakh, snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2026. The Census will be conducted in two phases. In phase 1, House Listing Operation (HLO), the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household will be collected. Subsequently, in the second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household will be collected. Caste enumeration will also be done during the census. For Census activities, about 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh Census functionaries would be deployed. This is the 16th Census since its beginning and the 8th since independence. The ensuing Census will be conducted through digital means using mobile applications. Provision of Self-enumeration would also be made available to the people. Very stringent data security measures would be kept in place to ensure data security at the time of collection, transmission and storage. (ANI)
