New Delhi, May 28
The decadal 2021 Census, which was postponed for an indefinite period in the wake the Covid pandemic, is unlikely to be held before the next Lok Sabha election that are due in April-May next year, officials said.
Confirming that the questionnaire for the Census was ready, they said people would be asked 31 questions, including access to smartphones, Internet, laptops, computers, cars, two-wheelers and main cereal consumed by them.
The house-listing phase of the Census and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR) were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid outbreak.
The Census operation continues to be on hold and the government has not yet announced a new schedule.
In January, the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India conveyed that the date of freezing of administrative boundaries — creation of new districts or sub-districts — had been extended to June 30, the sources said.
According to the norms, the Census can be conducted only three months after (post September 30) the freezing of boundary limits of administrative units such as districts, sub-districts, tehsils, taluks and police stations. — TNS
