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New Delhi: The much delayed population census, now underway, meant to enumerate India’s population, provide socio-economic indices for statistical analysis that can inform policy, has triggered allegations of being used to conduct a National Population Register (NPR)-like exercise, violating individual privacy and “sabotaging” by design the idea of counting caste for the first time. At the centre of the storm is a 40-point questionnaire that includes 11 new questions, that probe individual details like parents’ particulars, bank account details, Aadhaar, passport, Voter ID, place of Covid-19 vaccination, among others.

While this is the first census since 1931 to enumerate caste, the question itself has been left open-ended, while leaving out Other Backward Classes (OBC) as a separate category. Together, this has raised troubling questions about not just the purpose for which the census is being conducted, but also whether the caste census promise is being deliberately defeated by design.

The questionnaire at the centre of the storm

On August 14, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified a set of 40 questions to be asked during the Population Enumeration phase. The questionnaire includes 11 additional questions against 29 that were a part of the 2011 Census-the last time India conducted a population count.

The new questions include father and mother’s particulars, digital literacy status, permanent residential address, place of Covid-19 vaccination, total number of bank accounts, driving license availability. It also asks for passport, mobile, Aadhaar and voter ID numbers, if available.

The new questions include permanent residential address, place of Covid-19 vaccination, total number of bank accounts, driving license availability. It also asks for passport, mobile, Aadhaar and voter ID numbers, if available. Photo: censusindia.gov.in

In addition, question number 10 which reads Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste, has become a flashpoint as it does not include a drop-down menu of caste names already available with the state, but instead provides for the enumerator to put down their caste names-opening the door to a vast plethora of caste names, like in the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census that had a similar self enumeration and which threw up over 46 lakh entries.

Why new questions on personal details triggered concerns of NPR

That the census questionnaire itself is seeking personal identification details has raised concerns that the government is using the census to update the NPR.

“Census is for collecting information that will help in planning policy and other things. Now for this, passport number or any other numbers will not provide any clarity, neither will parents’ particulars, spouse’s names or other relationship details. My presumption is that these details will be used for updating the NPR or preparing it afresh,” said former deputy registrar general of India K. Narayanan Unni.

The enumeration for the NPR can only be conducted under the provisions of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. Simply put, NPR is a list of “usual residents” in the country. The first NPR was conducted in........

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