Wed Feb 05 17:20:56 UTC 2025: ## India’s Delayed Census and Missing Vital Statistics Raise Concerns
**New Delhi, February 5, 2025** – India’s long-delayed decennial Census, last conducted in 2011, continues to be stalled, raising serious concerns among experts and opposition parties. The delay, coupled with the non-release of key reports on births, deaths, and crime for several years, is hindering effective policymaking and resource allocation.
The Union Home Ministry has failed to release the “Vital Statistics of India” and “Report on Medical Certification of Cause of Death” since 2020. The annual “Crime in India” report for 2023 is also outstanding. While the 2023 Registration of Births and Deaths Amendment Act mandates digital registration, the lack of timely release of compiled data remains a significant issue. Although some states have published their own data up to 2022, a complete national picture is unavailable.
The Census, originally scheduled for 2020-21, was initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the current delay is largely attributed to ongoing discussions surrounding the inclusion of caste enumeration, a move opposed by some within the government. A former Census official highlighted the lack of budgetary allocation and the required extensive training period for enumerators as contributing factors to the delay.
Experts emphasize the critical need for updated Census data to understand population composition, demographic shifts, and to effectively implement social welfare programs. The absence of this crucial information is impacting policy decisions, particularly regarding programs such as the National Food Security Act, according to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. He noted that this is the first time since Independence that the Census has been so significantly delayed. Other critics, like S. Irudaya Rajan of the International Institute of Migration and Development, point to a lack of government prioritization of data collection. The absence of a complete and up-to-date Census and vital statistics leaves India among a small number of countries without this critical information.
First Piper 