Ahead of the upcoming Union Budget, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced a significant reduction in the budget allocation for the Census Survey and Statistics.
The revised budget now stands at nearly half of the initial estimate for the 2024-25 financial year. Despite the cut, the Registrar General of India (RGI) will continue with the delayed Census process and the updating of the National Population Register (NPR), with provisions in place for additional funding should the need arise.
The decision to cap the census budget comes at a crucial time, with the government preparing for the upcoming budget discussions. The RGI, responsible for conducting the Census and updating the NPR, will receive an allocation of ₹0.52209 crore, a significant reduction from the ₹1.25013 crore that had originally been set aside in the Budget Estimates for 2024-25.
However, the government has made provisions to ensure that additional funds can be accessed through a special route if necessary to complete the task.
This move has raised questions about the future of the census and its impact on the collection of key data, particularly caste-based information.
The government had earlier made it clear that it does not plan to collect caste-wise data for the upcoming census, except for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
This is a continuation of the policy that has been in place since India’s independence. While some state assemblies have called for a caste-based census, the Union Government has maintained its stance of excluding such data collection, aside from the SC and ST categories.
The delay in the census process, which was originally scheduled for 2020, has been attributed to the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent general elections in 2024.
This delay has put the government under pressure to ensure that the census is carried out effectively and efficiently, especially as the process plays a critical role in planning for the country’s future development.
In response to the reduced budget allocation, the MHA has issued a directive, ensuring that expenditure under each head of account does not exceed the revised budget outlay for the year.
The directive also specifies that if the revised provision exceeds the original estimate, it does not automatically authorise additional spending beyond the budgeted amount.
The census, which is the largest administrative exercise in the country, has far-reaching implications for governance, policymaking, and resource distribution.
The data collected during the census helps in the allocation of resources, distribution of benefits, and setting up of policies aimed at promoting economic and social welfare.
Given the significance of this exercise, the reduction in budget and the delay in its execution have sparked concerns about its potential impact on future planning and policy formulation.
Moreover, the government’s decision to exclude caste-based data, except for SCs and STs, has generated considerable debate. In 2018, the Modi government had announced that the 2021 census would include data on Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the first time.
However, the government has since reversed this decision, leaving many questioning the future of caste-based enumeration.
Various state assemblies, including those in Bihar and Odisha, have passed resolutions demanding a caste-based census, citing the importance of such data in addressing issues of social and economic inequality.
The absence of caste data could potentially hinder efforts to address the needs of underprivileged communities, as policymakers often rely on census data to allocate resources for social welfare schemes.
The government's stance on this matter remains firm, despite growing calls for a more inclusive census process that reflects the diverse social fabric of the country.
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