Concerns over the Census questions, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• The Central government recently notified new questions for the population enumeration phase of the 2027 Census.
• New questions include personal details such as parents' names, spouses' names, nationality, place of COVID-19 vaccination, bank account numbers, mobile numbers, Aadhaar, Voter ID, and passport numbers.
• Concerns have been raised regarding the utility of these new questions for generating statistical data.
• The inclusion of these personal details is seen as a significant departure from previous Census practices.

Detailed Insights:

• The new questions are perceived to violate Principle 6 of the United Nations’ Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, which mandates strict confidentiality and use of individual data exclusively for statistical purposes.
• Collecting names of individuals and their parents poses challenges, especially for institutional households and individuals living away from home.
• The utility of collecting data on the place of COVID-19 vaccination, which occurred years ago, is questioned.
• The phrase "if available" for identifiers like Aadhaar, Voter ID, and passport numbers creates ambiguity and potential for inaccurate data collection by enumerators.
• The question on "nationality as declared" was previously discarded from the Indian Census after 1961 due to its limited utility and potential for misuse.
• There are concerns that the detailed personal information, particularly parents' names and permanent addresses, could be used for updating the National Population Register (NPR).
• The article suggests that using Census data for NPR or National Register of Citizens (NRC) purposes might compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the Census.
• The increased length of the questionnaire (40 questions) is likely to lead to respondent fatigue and potentially affect the quality of the collected data.
• The Census Act, 1948, outlines the role of state governments in conducting the Census, and states had previously objected to linking the Census with NPR updates.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Census: A comprehensive process of collecting, compiling, analyzing, and disseminating demographic, economic, and social data of all persons in a country at a specific time.
• National Population Register (NPR): A register of usual residents of the country, prepared under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
• National Register of Citizens (NRC): An official record of legal Indian citizens, aimed at identifying and documenting all genuine citizens of India.
• United Nations’ Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics: A set of ten principles guiding statistical agencies in their work, emphasizing relevance, impartiality, professional standards, and confidentiality.