Parliament Session: First Phase Of Census 2021 Postponed Amid COVID-19

New Delhi: The first phase of Census 2021 has been postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Home Ministry informed the Parliament on Wednesday.

It had been scheduled from April 1 to September 30, 2020. A final decision on when these activities will take place has not been made yet. However, it is unlikely that these will be held this year, reportedly.

According to the report, in response to a question by Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, the government said the initial phase of census operations, which would have included related field activities such as the exercise to update the contentious NPR (National Population Register) has been deferred.

“As the entire exercise needs the involvement of lakhs of officials and visit to each family, we can’t underestimate the health risks involved,” a senior government official told news agency PTI late last month. “The census is not an essential exercise for now. Even if it is delayed by a year, there would be no harm,” the official was quoted as saying by NDTV.

One of the largest administrative and statistical exercises in the world, the census in India is conducted once a decade and normally involves around 30 lakh officials visiting every household across the length and breadth of the country.

However, with the outbreak of COVID-19 and strict instructions to follow social distancing and other hygiene protocols, concerns had been raised over health risks to all involved.