Census 2021 Postponed Amid Coronavirus Outbreak & Lockdown

New Delhi: The first phase of Census 2021 and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NRP) have been postponed till further orders in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Census 2021 was scheduled to be conducted in two phases. The phase I included house listing and housing census during April-September, 2020. Population enumeration was slated for second phase from February 9 to 28, 2021, the PIB website said.

The NPR was also proposed to be updated along with the phase I of Census 2021 in all the States and UTs, except Assam.

The decision followed the 21-day lockdown across the country on Tuesday to stop the epidemic from taking a pandemic form.

On March 20, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone the scheduled census and related activities amid the concerns over the spread of the COVID-19.

Amid the global coronavirus scare, the Chief Minister said that all efforts of the state machinery are directed towards containing the spread of the deadly virus. “As mobilisation for census and other concerned activities shall pose a great risk for field functionaries and
people as well, I would rather suggest to postpone the scheduled census and related activities,” he added