Last update:28 October 2024, 09:15 IST

Despite some political parties calling for caste census, News18 has learned that the government has no plans to allow the same at the moment.

According to 2011 data, India’s population is 121.1 million, of which 52% are male and 48% are female. (Getty)

The last time a census was taken in India was in 2011. The next round was due to start in 2021, but the second wave of Covid-19 delayed it. Since then, more questions have been asked about when the next census data will be released. Now, top sources in the Union government have confirmed to CNN-News18 that the next census data will be available in 2026. “The data recording process will start in 2025 and the report will be published in 2026,” a top source . said.

The first census cycle will now be from 2025 to 2035 and then from 2035 to 2045 and so on.

The government is about to prepare for the registration of the census. Despite some political parties calling for caste census, News18 has learned that the government has no plans to allow caste census at the moment. In fact, in the existing form, where every survey taker publishes their name, details, family details, etc., they have an option to submit their religion details. There is another column which identifies them as either Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste (SC/ST). The only addition to the form will be to allow survey takers to mention their sect under their religion.

The Congress, RJD and several other parties have demanded that a caste census be conducted. BJP’s alliance partners like Bihar’s JDU also talked about the same but did not put any pressure on the Centre. At the central level, the final decision was left to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet. The BJP’s other ally, the Telugu Desam Party, is also of the opinion that the census must take place, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu actively advocating for a “skills census” for the benefit of the masses, especially the youth population.

RSS is also in favor of caste census as long as it is not done to gain political mileage by any party.

Meanwhile, sources also said that when the census data is released, the government will start the delimitation process. This will give the country more elected representatives in the coming years. Only after the delimitation process is complete can they be implemented such as the 33% reservation for women.

Many southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, have followed a strict population policy and hence the government is also considering a proposal to ensure that they are not given any unfair treatment through the delimitation process.

India’s census is recorded every decade, the first being conducted in 1872. The first post-independence census was recorded in 1951 and the last in 2011.

Census data is extremely important to the Government of India for formulating and implementing its policy and ensuring equitable distribution of resources in the country. Census sheds light on several aspects including population, demographics, economic status, etc.

In the absence of the census due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Government of India is currently relying on the 2011 census data.

According to 2011 data, India’s population is 121.1 million, of which 52% are male and 48% are female. During this census, transgender numbers were considered for the first time in the history of India. According to the data, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with nearly 20 million people, followed by Maharashtra with over 11 million people. At nearly six lakh, Sikkim had the smallest population.

In 2011 data, literacy rate in India was 74%. Male literacy was 82% while female literacy was 65%.

The religious demographics of the country in the 2011 census showed Hindus at 79.8%, Muslims at 14.23%, Christians at 2.30% and Sikhs at 1.72% of India’s population. About 57,000 Parsis are also part of India’s population. During the survey, it was recorded that 0.24% of respondents registered as having “no religion” – a category that was first introduced in 2011.