India's Census and NPR Update Likely to Begin in 2025: New Census Cycle and Delimitation Questions Arise

PTI, New Delhi, October 28, 2024 – After significant delays, India's decadal census exercise and the National Population Register (NPR) update are now expected to commence in early 2025, with data publication planned for 2026. This will effectively alter the country’s traditional census schedule, shifting future cycles to a new timeline, government sources indicated. The change comes after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the originally scheduled 2021 census, marking the first time in independent India’s history that a decade passed without this vital demographic record.

Sources familiar with the government’s planning shared that the forthcoming census would continue with its historical focus, including questions on categories like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. However, the demand for a caste census from opposition parties, including Congress and the RJD, remains unanswered, with no formal decision on its inclusion.

The delay is expected to impact the upcoming delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies scheduled for 2026. Officials are considering how the timing of the census data release might affect delimitation, which could alter the distribution of Lok Sabha seats across states. Some southern state leaders have voiced concerns that population-controlled regions may lose seats, thereby reducing their influence in Parliament relative to northern states. Article 82 of the Constitution currently stipulates that until census data post-2026 is released, seat distribution remains based on the 1971 census, suggesting that a constitutional amendment would be necessary if the government seeks to adjust seat allocation using the new census data.

The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner has prepared a 31-question form for households, covering a range of data points from demographic details, economic status, and social indicators. Topics include the number of married couples, gender of the household head, family access to telecommunications and transport, type of cooking fuel used, access to sanitation and drinking water, and cereal consumption, among others.

This upcoming census will also provide updated insights into India’s population growth and socio-economic shifts since 2011, when the population stood at 1.21 billion, with a 17.64% growth rate over the previous decade, a literacy rate of 74.04%, and a rural-to-urban distribution of roughly 69% to 31%.

The 2025 census marks the first comprehensive count since India's population surpassed 1.4 billion, presenting a crucial opportunity for updated national policies, economic planning, and regional development initiatives as India continues its trajectory as the world’s most populous country.