CENSUS
What is Census? How is it useful?
The Indian Census is the most credible source of information on Demography (Population characteristics), Economic Activity, Literacy & Education, Housing & Household Amenities, Urbanization, Fertility and Mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Language, Religion, Migration, Disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data since 1872. Census 2011 will be the 15th National Census of the country. This is the only source of primary data at village, town and ward level. It provides valuable information for planning and formulation of polices for Central & State Governments and is widely used by National & International agencies, scholars, business people, industrialists, and many more. The delimitation/reservation of Constituencies - Parliamentary/Assembly/Panchayats and other Local Bodies is also done on the basis of the demographic data thrown up by the Census. Census is the basis for reviewing the country's progress in the past decade, monitoring the on-going schemes of the Government and most importantly, plan for the future. That is why the slogan of Census 2011 is "Our Census, Our Future".
What is the National Population Register? What is its use?
The NPR would be a Register of usual residents of the country. The NPR will be a comprehensive identity database that would help in better targeting of the benefits and services under the Government schemes/programmes, improve planning and help strengthen security of the country. This is being done for the first time in the country.
How will both these exercises be conducted?
The Census is a statutory exercise conducted under the provisions of the Census Act 1948 and Rules made there under. The NPR is being created under the provisions of the Citizenship Act and Rules.
Census Process:
The Census process involves visiting each and every household and gathering particulars by asking questions and filling up Census Forms. The information collected about individuals is kept absolutely confidential. In fact this information is not accessible even to Courts of law. After the field work is over the forms are transported to data processing centres located at 15 cities across the country. The data processing will be done using sophisticated software called Intelligent Character Recognition Software (ICR). This technology was pioneered by India in Census 2001 has become the benchmark for Censuses all around the globe. This involves the scanning of the Census Forms at high speed and extracting the data automatically using computer software. This revolutionary technology has enabled the processing of the voluminous data in a very short time and saving a huge amount of manual labour and cost.
NPR Process:
Details such as Name, Date of Birth, Sex, Present Address, Permanent Address, Names of Father, Mother and Spouse etc will be gathered by visiting each and every household. All usual residents will be eligible to be included irrespective of their Nationality. Each and every household will be given an Acknowledgement Slip at the time of enumeration. The data will then be entered into computers in the local language of the State as well as in English. Once this database has been created, biometrics such as photograph, 10 fingerprints and probably Iris information will be added for all persons aged 15 years and above. This will be done by arranging camps at every village and at the ward level in every town. Each household will be required to bring the Acknowledgement Slip to such camps. Those who miss these camps will be given the opportunity to present themselves at permanent NPR Centres to be set up at the Tehsil/Town level. In the next step, data will be printed out and displayed at prominent places within the village and ward for the public to see. Objections will be sought and registered at this stage. Each of these objections will then be enquired into by the local Revenue Department Officer and a proper disposal given in writing. Persons aggrieved by such order have a right of appeal to the Tehsildar and then to the District Collector. Once this process is over, the lists will be placed in the Gram Sabha in villages and the Ward Committee in towns. Claims and Objections will be received at this stage also and dealt with in the same manner described above. The Gram Sabha/Ward Committee has to give its clearance or objection within a fixed period of time after which it will be deemed that the lists have been cleared. The lists thus authenticated will then be sent to the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) for de-duplication and issue of UID Numbers. All duplicates will be eliminated at this stage based on comparison of biometrics. Unique ID numbers will also be generated for every person. The cleaned database along with the UID Number will then be sent back to the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India (ORG&CCI) and would form the National Population Register. As the UID system works on the basis of biometric de-duplication, in the case of persons of age 15 years and above (for whom biometrics is available), the UID Number will be available for each individual. For those below the age of 15 years (for whom biometrics is not available), the UID Number will be linked to the parent or guardian.
Will an Identity Card be given?
The National Population Register would have the data of every person enumerated during the Census operations irrespective of age. It would also have the biometric data and UID Number of every person of age 15 years and above. National Identity Cards will be given in a phased manner to all usual residents by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. The issue of Cards will be done in Coastal Villages to start with. After this the coastal Towns will be covered and so on till the entire country is covered.
What is the Link between NPR and Unique ID Authority of India (UIDAI)?
The data collected in the NPR will be subjected to de-duplication by the UIDAI. After de-duplication, the UIDAI will issue a UID Number. This UID Number will be part of the NPR and the NPR Cards will bear this UID Number. The maintenance of the NPR database and updating subsequently will be done by the Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India.

Census Concepts

Crude birth rate = (Number of live births during the year)/(Mid-year population) x 1000

Age-specific fertility = (Number of live births in a particular age-group)/(Mid-year female population of the same age-group) x 1000

General fertility rate (GFR) = (Number of live births in a year)/(Mid-year female population in the age-group (15-49) years) x 1000

Crude death rate (CDR) = (Number of deaths during the year)/(Mid-year population ) x 1000

Infant mortality rate (IMR) = (Number of infant deaths during the year)/(Number of live births during the year) x 1000

Neo-natal mortality rate (NMR) = (Number of infant deaths of < than 29 days during the ear)/(Number of live births during the year) x 1000

Ancient and Medieval Censuses
India
The Harappa and Mohanjo-Daro excavations reveal that "as far back as the 3rd or 4th millennium BC and probably much earlier still, India was in possession of a highly developed civilization with large and populous cities, well built houses, temples and public buildings of brick and many other amenities enjoyed during that period by the peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt". The celebrated
'Arthashastra', the Principles of Government, evolved by one of the greatest geniuses of political administration, Kautilya during the days of Mauryas in the third BC, prescribed the collection of population statistics as a measure of state policy for the purpose of taxation.
Egypt
Censuses in Egypt are said to have been taken during the early Pharaonic period in 3340 BC and in 3050 BC.
China
The world's oldest extant census data comes from China sometime before the Xia Dynasty, over 4,000 years ago, counting some 13 million people. The second oldest extant data in the world comes from the Han Dynasty, in what is perhaps China's most well-known ancient census taken in the fall of 2 CE. This is considered by scholars to be quite accurate. By that time, there were 57.67 million people registered in 12.36 million households living in China. The third oldest data in the world is also from the Han Dynasty, dating back to 144 CE, when only 49.73 million people living in 9.94 million households were counted. Mass migrations into what is today southern China are believed to be behind this massive demographic decline. Numerous other census data survives from Imperial China.
World Population (Estimated)
10000 BCE – 1 Million
5000 BCE – 15 Million
1 CE – 200 Million
1000 CE – 310 Million
1950 CE – 2519 Million
2009 CE – 6756 Million
Milestone in World Population
1804 – 1 Billion
1927 – 2 Billion (123 years later)
1960 – 3 Billion (33 years later)
1974 – 4 Billion (14 years later)
1987 – 5 Billion (13 years later)
1999 – 6 Billion (12 years later)

Census of India, 2001
The Census of India 2001, is historic and epoch making, being the first census of the twenty-first century and the third millennium. It reveals benchmark data on the state of abundant human resources available in the country, their demography, culture and economic structure at a juncture, which marks a centennial and millennial transition. The population enumeration of 2001 census was undertaken during 9-28 February 2001 with a revisional round from 1-5 March 2001. The census moment, the referral time at which the snapshot of the population is taken was 00.00 hours of 1 March 2001. Until the 1991 Census, the sunrise of 1 March was taken to be the census moment. The houseless population, as has been the usual practice, was enumerated on the night of 28 February 2001.
POPULATION
India’s population as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million females). India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the world surface area of 135.79 million sq km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping 16.7 per cent of the world population. The population of India, which at the turn of the twentieth century was around 238.4 million, increased to reach 1,028 million at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The population of India as recorded at each decennial census from 1901 has grown steadily except for a decrease during 1911-21. The per cent decadal growth of population in the inter-censal period 1991-2001 varies from a low of 9.43 in Kerala to a very high 64.53 in Nagaland. Delhi with 47.02 per cent, Chandigarh with 40.28 per cent and Sikkim with 33.06 per cent registered very high growth rates. In addition to Kerala, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh registered low growth rates during 1991-2001.
POPULATION DENSITY
One of the important indices of population concentration is the density of population. It is defined as the number of persons per sq km. The population density of India in 2001 was 324 per sq km. The density of population was increased in all States and Union Territories between 1991 and 2001. Among major states, West Bengal is still the most thickly populated state with a population density of 903 in 2001. Bihar is now the second highest densely populated state pushing Kerala to the third place.
SEX RATIO
Sex ratio, defined as the number of females per thousand males is an important social indicator to measure the extent of prevailing equality between males and females in a society at a given point of time. The sex ratio in the country had always remained unfavourable to females. It was 972 at the beginning of the 20th century and thereafter showed continuous decline until 1941.
LITERACY
For the purpose of census 2001, a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate. A person, who can only read but cannot write, is not literate. In the censuses prior to 1991, children below five years of age were necessarily treated as illiterates. The results of 2001 census reveal that there has been an increase in literacy in the country. The literacy rate in the country is 64.84 per cent, 75.26 for males and 53.67
for females. Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 90.86 per cent literacy rate, closely followed by Mizoram (88.80 per cent) and Lakshadweep (86.66 per cent). Bihar with a literacy rate of 47.00 per cent ranks last in the country preceded by Jharkhand (53.56 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (55.52 per cent). Kerala also occupies the top spot in the country both in male literacy with 94.24 per cent and female literacy with 87.72 per cent. On the contrary, Bihar has recorded the lowest literacy rates both in case of males (59.68 per cent) and females (33.12 per cent). (Source: Publication Division, GOI)

Census of India, 2001
Area :
Area of India: 3,287,240 Sq km
Largest State: Rajasthan, 342,239 Sq km
Smallest State: Goa, 3,702 Sq km
Largest Union Territory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 8,249 Sq km
Smallest Union Territory: Lakshadweep, 32Sq km
Largest District: Kachchh (Gujarat), 45,652 Sq km
Smallest District: Mahe ( Pondicherry ), 9 Sq km
Administrative Divisions :
No. of States: 28
No. of Union Territories: 7
No. of Districts: 593
No. of CD Blocks: 3,799
No. of Inhabited Villages: 593,731
Population :
Persons: 1,028,737,436
Males: 532,223,090 (51.74%)
Females: 496,514,346 (48.26%)
Highest / Lowest Population :
State with Highest Population: Uttar Pradesh, 166,197,921
State with Lowest Population: Sikkim, 540,851
UT with Highest Population: Delhi, 13,850,507
UT with Lowest Population: Lakshadweep, 60,650
District with Highest Population: Medinipur (West Bengal) 9,610,788
District with Lowest Population: Yanam (Pondicherry) 31,394
Population Density: India: 325 Persons / Sq. Km
State with Highest Population Density: West Bengal, 903 Persons / Sq. Km
State with Lowest Population Density: Arunachal Pradesh, 13 Persons / Sq. Km
UT with Highest Population Density: Delhi, 9,340 Persons / Sq. Km
UT with Lowest Population Density: Andaman & Nicobar Islands 43 Persons / Sq. Km
District with Highest Population Density:North East (Delhi) 29,468 Persons / Sq. Km
District with Lowest Population Density: Lahul & Spiti(HP) 2 Persons / Sq. Km


Rural - Urban Distribution
Rural: 72.2%
Urban: 27.8%
State with highest proportion of Urban Population: Goa, 49.76%
State with lowest proportion of Urban Population: Himachal Pradesh, 9.30%
UT with highest proportion of Urban Population: Delhi, 93.18%
UT with lowest proportion of Urban Population: Dadra & Nagar Haveli, 22.89%
Sex ratio (females per thousand males)
India: 933
Rural: 946
Urban: 900
State with Highest Female Sex Ratio: Kerala, 1,058
State with Lowest Female Sex Ratio: Haryana, 861
UT with Highest Female Sex Ratio: Pondicherry, 1,001
UT with Lowest Female Sex Ratio: Daman & Diu, 710
District with Highest Female Sex Ratio: Mahe (Pondicherry), 1,147
District with Lowest Female Sex Ratio: Daman (Daman & Diu), 591
Age groups and percentage of population in that group to total population:
6 years and below 15.9%
7 to 14 years 19.4%
15 to 59 years 56.9%
60 years and above 7.5%
Literacy Rate: Persons Male Female
Total Literacy rate 64.8% 75.3% 53.7%
Rural Literacy rate 58.7% 70.7% 46.1%
Urban Literacy rate 79.9% 86.2% 72.9%
State with Highest Literacy Rate: Kerala 90.9% 94.2% 87.7%
State with Lowest Literacy Rate:
Bihar 47.0% 59.7% 3.1%
UT with Highest Literacy Rate:
Lakshadweep 86.7% 92.5% 80.5%
UT with Lowest Literacy Rate:
Dadra & Nagar Haveli 57.6% 71.2% 40.2%
District with Highest Literacy Rate: Overall: Aizwal, Mizoram 96.5%
Male: Mahe, Pondicherry 97.6%
Female: Aizwal, Mizoram 96.26%
District with Lowest Literacy Rate: Overall:
Dantewada, Tripura 30.17%
Male: Dantewada, Tripura 39.75%
Female: Shrawasti, UP 7.7%
Religious Population:
Hindus: 80.5%
Muslims : 13.4%
Christians : 2.3%
Sikhs : 1.9%
Buddhists : 0.8%
Jains : 0.4%
Other Religions: 0.6%
Religion not stated: 0.1%

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes:
Scheduled Castes :
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes : Punjab (28.9 %)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes : Mizoram (0.03 %)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes : Chandigarh (17.5%)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes : D & N Haveli (1.9% )
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes : Cooch Behar, WB (50.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes : Lawngtlai, Mizoram(0.01%)
Scheduled Tribes:
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes : Mizoram (94.5 %)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes : Goa (0.04 %)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes : Lakshadweep (94.5 %)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes : A & N Islands (8.3 %)
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes : Sarchhip, Mizoram (98.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes : Hathras, U.P (0.01%)

Official census in India
The first attempt was made in 1871 for whole of India by the British to conduct a general census at a given date for the purpose of calculating capitation rate and also to know the statistics of age, caste, religion, occupation, education and infirmity of the population in India. The first Census Commissioner of India was W. W. Plowden. From this census onwards, there have been population censuses continuously in every 10th year and 2011 census is the 15th census in India and 7th census after Independence.
Two phases of Indian Census 2011
First Phase – Houselisting, House Census and Creation of National Population Register 1st April 2010 to 30th Sep 2010 – 45 days in each State – may vary from State to State
Second Phase – Household Census of population enumeration 9th – 28th February 2011 - There will be a revisional round during 1st – 5th March 2011 for updating the information as on 00.00 hours of 1st March 2011. Census 2011 covers all 640 districts 5767 tehsils 7742 towns and more than 6 lakh villages in India. Scanning of data is done using ICR and OCR technology. They also plan
to take photos and finger prints of individuals, after the completion of second phase, as a continuous process.