The Centre has amended the 1990 census rules that will include an electronic form where the country’s people can self-enumerate in a similar schedule of questions that are asked in a regular door-to-door census enumeration process. The amendment will now be enforced in the upcoming census season and the National Population Register. It was announced in 2020 but notified now, will take the course.
What the amendment states
The amendment of the census rules of 1990 was issued through a gazette notification on Friday. The amendment has been inserted into clause C of Rule-2 that deals with the definitions. The change now bears that the census schedule will contain questions from the sub-section (1) and of section (8) as well of the Act, which can either be in paper or electronic form can be canvassed or through self-enumeration.
According to the census Act of 1948, section 8 gives the power to the enumerator to ask questions (regarding census survey) to the respondents, making it obligatory for them to answer with exceptions.
An explanation for the new electronic form implementation happened to have the same meaning assigned as per clause(r) of the sub-section of section2 as per the Information technology Act of 2000 (21 of 2000).
Rule 6 has an extra clause that the Government has inserted, which states that the respondent who fills the electronic form should complete the form without any prejudice to any other provisions of these rules and submit the census schedule after self-enumeration.
The enumerators will canvas connected papers at the office of the director of the Census for the self-enumerators who have filled up the information online.
