The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that “every person is legally bound to answer the Census questions to the best of his knowledge or belief.”
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai the State Government appoints Census officers to take or aid in or supervise the taking of Census under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948.
The Minister was responding to a question by Congress member V.K. Sreekandan who asked whether the Government anticipates organised movement against the decennial Census exercise such as agitation for inclusion of other backward classes and court cases against the collection of data for the National Population Register (NPR).
The Hindu had reported on February 26 that the Registrar General of India anticipates “organised movement” and agitation for inclusion of plantation labour as agriculture labour, inclusion of certain groups belonging to a particular religion, Other Backward Classes in the forthcoming Census exercise that has been indefinitely delayed due to COVID-19.
“All requisite measures are taken with the support of State Governments to conduct the Census and the National Population Register exercise smoothly,” the reply stated.
