#312: Census & Caste Census
All you need to know for #UPSC
Census
Process of collecting, compiling, analyzing & disseminating demographic economic & social data (at a specific time) of all persons in a country.
1. History
• Mentioned in: Rigveda (800-600 BC), Arthashastra (300 BC), & Ain-i-Akbari (16th century)
• 1st non-synchronous Census (limited reach): 1872 u/ Gov. Gen. Lord Mayo
• 1st synchronous Census (entire Bengal covered): 1881 u/ Lord Ripon (Census Commissioner: WC Plowden)
2. Responsible Body
• ad-hoc basis till 1951
• 1951 onwards: Office of the Registrar General and Census
3. Legal Backing
• Union list subject u/A 246
• u/ Census Act, 1948
4. Significance
• Largest single source of population's statistical information
• Use case: Good governance
• Constituency demarcation in LS/VS
Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC)
• 1st ever in 2011
1. Components
• Economic status (to define a poor/deprived person)
• Specific caste (to evaluate castes that are economically worse or better of)
2. Constitutional Backing
• Article 340: Mandates appointment of commission to investigate conditions of socially/educationally backward classes
Okay CSEWhy, but what's the diff b/w Census & SECC?
• SECC identifies beneficiaries of state support while Census gives national population data
• SECC data open for govt. department use but exact Census data is confidential
3. Significance
• Better inequality mapping
• Quantifiable data to support existing reservation levels
4. Key Findings of SECC 2011
• Total Households: 24.49 crore
- Rural: 17.97 crore
- SC/ST Households: 3.87 crore (21.56%)
• Households with no literate adult (age >25): 23.5%
5. Trivia
• 5th census (1921)
Only census to see decline (0.31%) and referred to "THE GREAT DIVIDE"
• 13th Census (1991)
Concept of literacy changed to children of 7+ age (earlier 4+)
• 15th Census (2011)
Notable fall in case of Empowered Action Group States (EAGS) noticed first time
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