2011 Census & NPR : a database to firm up security, plan welfare schemes
N. RAMA RAO
The Centre's caution to field officers on the India-Bangladesh border to guard against people from across the border trying to get their names enrolled in the National Population Register (NPR) ( The Hindu, March 5) is timely and has to be totally complied with by the enumerators concerned.
However, it has to be pointed out that foreigners who satisfy the definition of usual residents are also eligible to be included in the NPR, according to instructions. The present caution seems to be for preventing the enrolment of people crossing the border with the sole intention of getting included in the NPR.
It is for the first time that a separate schedule is to be canvassed to prepare the NPR along with the preparation of the Houselist and Housing Census schedule of the 2011 Census.
The population census will be held in two phases — house numbering and house listing this year and the main census enumeration in March next year.
The purpose of the house numbering and listing exercise is to prepare the frame for conducting the census. In addition, information relating to housing stock, and amenities, facilities and assets available for each household will also be collected through this schedule.
The information collected will, when analysed, go a long way in implementing programmes for providing better amenities and facilities to the people and also to provide indicators of the quality of life of the people in the different regions of the country.
The NPR is expected to be a comprehensive identity data base for the country. Apart from strengthening the security of the country, this data base will help plan the benefits and services of the welfare schemes and programmes and improve the planning process.
For creating NPR, the personal details of all residents of the country as also the photographs and fingerprints of all residents who are of age 15 years and above will be obtained by the enumerator doing the house listing.
The twin operations of filling in the NPR schedule and the Houselist and the Housing Census schedule will be carried out simultaneously by enumerators through house-to-house visit during April-September this year in different States/Union Territories depending upon the local conditions. For instance, it will be done in April in Gujarat and in June in Tamil Nadu for about six weeks each.
Comprehensive details
The particulars regarding each individual to be collected by the enumerator in the NPR Household Schedule are: name of person, relationship to head of household, father's name, mother's name, spouse's name, sex, date of birth, marital status, place of birth, nationality as declared, present address of usual residence, duration of stay at present address, permanent residential address, occupation/activity and educational qualification.
The photographs and the fingerprints will be taken up at a later specified date at the venue chosen for the photography camp.
For this purpose, an acknowledgement slip will be given to the respondent by the enumerator. There will be two rounds of photography at every village/urban area. The collection of individual data for NPR is being implemented under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity cards) Rules, 2003.
Irrespective of whether they are citizens or not, all usual residents with their particulars will be included in the NPR. The head of the family or household and the individual have to provide the particulars required by the enumerator.
House numbering and listing will be done under the Census Act 1948 (as amended). Each enumerator has to number and record in the Houselist and Housing Census schedule the numbers of all buildings, census houses (i.e., a building or a part of a building with a separate entrance which may be vacant or occupied and used for residential or non-residential purposes) and households (i.e., a group of persons who generally live together and take their meals from a common kitchen) found in the House Listing Block allotted to him/her.
Some particulars such as the number of usual residents in the household, name of the head of household, whether he/she belongs to the Scheduled castes or the Scheduled Tribes etc., will also be recorded in the House List and the Housing census Schedule by the enumerator.
Housing census
Particulars that form part of housing census which will be collected and recorded in the Houselist and the Housing Census schedule are: the predominant material of floor, wall and roof of the house in which the household is living, the ownership status of the house, the number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household, the number of married couples living together, the main source of drinking water, the location of the drinking water source, the main source of lighting, whether there is toilet facility within the premises and, if available, the type of toilet facility, whether waste water is connected to closed drainage, open drainage or there is no drainage, bathing facility available within the premises, the availability of kitchen and fuel used for cooking.
Information will also be collected whether the following assets are possessed by the household: radio/transistor, television, computer/laptop, telephone/mobile phone, bicycle, scooter/motor cycle/moped and car/jeep/van.
The household will also be asked to state whether the head of the household or any other member of the household is availing himself/herself of bank services.
A total of about 2.7 million enumerators and supervisors are expected to be appointed at the national level for the 2011 Census.
Manuals containing detailed instructions have been prepared to guide the enumerators and supervisors in the discharge of their duties. They will also be trained specially in training sessions.
(The writer is Retired Deputy Registrar General (Census), Govt. of India and currently UNFPA Census Analysis Consultant for Cambodia)
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