Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday called for an all-party meeting to gain clarity on whether the upcoming Census will include detailed enumeration of all castes and whether it will be used to determine each state’s representation in the Lok Sabha.
Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, highlighted that the extension of the tenure of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner indicates that the long-delayed Census, initially due in 2021, will finally be conducted soon. However, he expressed concerns over the lack of clarity on two critical issues.
Concerns Raised By Congress
“There is still absolutely no clarity on two crucial issues,” Ramesh said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He questioned whether the new Census would include a detailed enumeration of all castes, in addition to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), as has been the practice since 1951. According to the Indian Constitution, such a Caste Census is the sole responsibility of the Union Government.
Ramesh also sought clarity on whether the Census would determine the strength of each state in the Lok Sabha, as stipulated by Article 82 of the Constitution. This article states that the first Census conducted after 2026 will serve as the basis for determining state representation. “Will this work to the disadvantage of states that have been pioneers in family planning?” Ramesh asked.
All-Party Meeting Suggested
The Congress leader asserted that an all-party meeting would be the most appropriate step to get clarity on these two critical issues.
The central deputation of Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, currently serving as Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, has been extended until August 2026, paving the way for him to lead the much-delayed decadal Census.
Extension Of Tenure For Census Head
“The President is pleased to extend the central deputation tenure of Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS (UP:1995), Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs beyond 06.12.2024 for a period up to 04.08.2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” an official notification read.
Narayan, a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has held this key post under the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2020.
Census Postponement And Delays
The house listing phase of the Census and the National Population Register (NPR) update were initially scheduled for April to September 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Census operation has remained on hold since then, and the government has not yet announced a new schedule. However, it is expected that the timeline for the much-delayed exercise will be declared soon.
