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New Delhi: Congress today criticised the Modi government on not completing the exercise of the decennial Census saying that this unnecessary delay has a negative impact on number of social policies and programmes.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh tweeted a clipping from X stating that the decadal Census exercise is due since 2021 and is not likely to be conducted in current year, due to which at least two other important reports on birth and death in the country are still pending with the Union Home Ministry.
During CAG’s interaction with Parliamentary platform Ramesh about the Social legislation and policies having linkage with Census stated that the several social policies and programmes like reservation to the SCs and STs and food security entitlements are being negatively impacted because of this Census which was not conducted even in 2021 which is due decennially.
The Congress on Saturday said it is “highly disappointing” that the only reference to the population census in Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech was that the Centre has promulgated the Population Register, diligently preparing to continue it in future, but did not speak of releases for decadal population census.
The party had noted that the failure by the government to conduct the census on time has a bearing on the state capacity. Ramesh added this also implies that the government will therefore definitely persist in not undertaking socio-economic caste survey.
Ramesh had posted in X, ‘It is highly disappointing that the Finance Minister’s Budget Speech did not announce release of funds for the decadal Population Census that was to be conducted in 2021 but has not yet been held,”
This is the first time that the government has not conducted census in right time after independence had said. The impact on the state’s administrative capabilities is severe and one of them is, according to one estimate the 10-12 crore people left out in the National Food Security Act / Pradhan Mantri Garib Kallyan Anna Yojana. This also signified that the Government will most certainly certainly go on not to conduct a Socio-Economic Caste Census," Ramesh further said.
