The much-delayed decadal census exercise and the work to update the National Population Register (NPR) are likely to begin early 2025 and the data will be declared by 2026, thus changing future census cycles completely, official sources said.
However, no decision has been taken yet on whether caste census will also be carried out along with the general census.
The country’s population count has been conducted every 10 years since 1951, but the census work in 2021 could not be carried out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, no formal announcement has been made on its next schedule.
“In all probability, the work for the census and the NPR will begin early next year and the population data will be announced by 2026. With this, the census cycle is likely to be changed. So, it will be 2025-2035 and then 2035-2045 and so on in future,” sources privy to the thinking of the government said.
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner had prepared 31 questions to be asked to the citizens during the census exercise.
These questions include whether the head of the household belongs to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and other family members as asked in the previous census.
Opposition Congress and the RJD are among the political parties which have been demanding a caste census so that the total OBC population in the country is known.
“The government has not yet taken any decision on caste census,” a source said.
It is to be seen whether the government will go ahead with the delimitation exercise, which is due in 2026, after the census data is published.
Several political leaders from Southern states have expressed their apprehensions over the possibility of their states losing out on Lok Sabha seats and thereby their political clout as they have been successful in population control, unlike the Northern states.