New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is likely to start the nationwide population census, which was delayed by over four years due to COVID pandemic, in 2025.
The process may continue till 2026. The delimitation of Lok Sabha seats will commence thereafter, and is likely to be completed by 2028, national dailies reported on Monday, citing sources.
This development has come amid demands from several opposition parties for a caste census.
A government source, however, told TNIE that the census would exclude survey of castes to deprive the opposition from raising issues related to it ahead of assembly polls in states like Bihar. “The data on the national census will be in the public domain by 2026 as the census will be conducted in a mission mode,” the report quoted a senior source in the government as saying.
Besides religion and social class, the next year’s census may also include surveys of sub-sects within the General and SC-ST categories, according to India Today.
On October 22, central deputation of Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, currently serving as the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, was extended till August 2026, hinting at the immediate commencement of the much-delayed census process.
In August, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the decadal census would be carried out at an appropriate time. “Once decided, I will announce how it will be done,” he said, adding that it would be done fully digitally through a mobile phone application.
The country’s last decennial population census was conducted in 2011, when a population of over 121 crores was recorded, reflecting a growth rate of 17.7%.
According to the UN’s April 2023 projections, which are calculated through a variety of factors including census data and birth and death rates, India has surpassed China with a population of over 142 crore (1,425,775,850).
