Census 2011 stalls BPL headcount

Census 2011 has unintentionally stalled the below-poverty-line (BPL) headcount for the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
Officials of the rural development ministry found to their dismay that the census operation clashed with their own efforts to collect data on the below-poverty-line population across the country. Left with no choice, they have deferred the process. It will now be kicked off after next April, when the second stage of Census 2011 draws to a close.

The rural development ministry has been providing financial, logistical and technical support to various states and Union Territories for conducting the below-poverty-line census, which is generally held in the beginning of each Five Year Plan, to "identify rural households living below the poverty line which could be provided assistance under various programmes run by the ministry." These include NREGA, PMGSY and the Indira Awaas Yojana. Identification of the below-poverty-line households plays an important role in selecting right beneficiaries. The below-poverty-line censuses have been so far conducted in 1992, 1997 and 2002 for the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Five Year Plans, respectively. The ministry has, in the meanwhile, decided to utilise the additional time provided to them by identifying, selecting and training the officials and volunteers who are expected to be involved in collecting and compiling the data from all the villages. The rural development ministry had on August 12, 2008, constituted an expert group, headed by Mr N C Saxena, who’s now a member of the National Advisory Council, to advise it on employing the right methodology. The panel submitted its report a year later (August 21, 2009).

The expert group, according to ministry officials, had suggested pre-testing the methodology with alternative methodologies. It has, in keeping with this, decided to undertake a pilot project to zero down on the most appropriate methodology to be employed for the next below-poverty-line headcount. The pilot project would be conducted in 260 villages, cutting across the country.

First phase of Census 2011 concludes in Nagaland

The first phase of the arduous census 2011 in Nagaland is finally over. The department of Census and all government employees involved in the exercise have put in painstaking efforts to bring out a correct census.

Although confronted with multiple problems during the first phase, the department is already gearing up for the second phase which will begin February next year. In the meantime, data for the National Population Register (NPR) will be scanned for the bio-metrics by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi, after being dispatched. The process of scanning the NPR sheets will start by August.

The first phase of census which began on June 1 was not without hurdles. This was the first time such a heavy exercise was being conducted. Data collection for the NPR was introduced for the first time, making it harder for enumerators and supervisors to conduct the exercise. ‘Master trainers’ were introduced to train the enumerators and supervisors on data collection. Community monitors drawn from various tribal organisations were also appointed to assist during campaigns and to spread awareness.

During the census operations, the department confronted cases of population inflation and attempts to increase the number of households. There were reports of highly inflated figures from several pockets of the state. There were also reports of diktats from some village functionaries to citizens living in towns, to enumerate in their respective villages. As a result, under-enumeration was reported from small towns and district headquarters. In this regard, the department has expressed fear of a demographic change. There was also confusion about the census with the electoral – as the electoral revision was conducted around the same time. In some areas, trainings had to be reconducted because enumerators were confused about the proper use of NPR sheets. Apart from few stray incidents, enumerations were generally carried out smoothly. Nodal officers were posted in all districts to assess the situation. Further, the department has taken all corrective measures possible in areas that reported inflation and increase in household numbers.

Despite the hurdles, the Director of Census Operation, Hekali Zhimomi has expressed optimism and satisfaction in the first phase of the census. She said the department is already gearing up for the second phase. The second phase is slated for February 9 to 28, 2011. It will be followed by revision (to include death and birth) on April, followed by the bio-metrics.

SC ruling may result in caste census

The demand for caste census is likely to get a fillip with the Supreme Court on Tuesday appearing to draw a link between OBC population and quantum of reservation for backward classes.

Coming just ahead of Parliament's monsoon session where proponents of caste census are set to renew their pitch, the order allowing Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to continue reservations exceeding the SC's 50% cap can inspire pro-Mandal players to push anew for an exercise to determine the exact population of backward castes. The SC relief is laden with possibilities, the biggest being a political justification for OBC satraps who have chafed at the 50% cap.

The fresh linkage between population and reservation quantum, even if not final, comes just when OBC satraps have stepped up pressure for caste census. The delay and the voices of opposition from Congress ranks have led them to fear that government could be backpedalling.

With Parliament session looming, the government may find itself under more pressure from backward outfits like SP and RJD who it needs on its side to boost its numbers. While the proponents of caste census have argued that enumeration of OBCs was required to better target the policies of OBC welfare, like knowing the size of the OBC group would help in determining the funds for welfare schemes, suspicions remain that the demand is actually driven by quota considerations.

The anti-caste census camp believes that the `Q' word has been avoided as it would have invited resistance from non-reserved communities and mired the issue in controversy. But the ruling is a welcome relief for Congress vis-a-vis coalition politics.

Deadline over, first phase of Ceunss yet to be completed in UP

Even after the June 30-deadline, the first phase of Census 2010 is far from over in the big towns of Uttar Pradesh. According to Census officials, the first phase — which includes data collection for Housing Census, House Listing and National Population Register (NPR) — is yet to be completed in towns where municipal corporations are handling the task.
Last week, after receiving reports on the tardy progress of the project, the state Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) had approached the state government seeking its intervention. On the DCO’s request, the government on Monday asked all divisional commissioners to direct the district magistrates to complete the exercise at the earliest.
“In almost all districts, the first phase of the Census has been completed. But the progress is tardy in municipal corporations, including Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Ghaziabad,” said A M Ansari, Deputy Director of the state DCO.
Among other municipal corporations, the first phase of the project has been completed only in Moradabad and Bareilly. The exercise is nearing completion in Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Saharanpur and Gorakhpur. “We have requested the state government to issue directives in this regard to the divisional commissioners during their monthly review meeting in July,” said Ansari.
Last Saturday, the DCO had held a meeting with its in-charges in 71 districts to review the progress of the project. “We have received reports that enumeration is complete in almost everywhere except in big towns. While in a few towns, the enumerators did not show interest in the exercise in the beginning, at other places, they were not aware about the given areas — thus resulting in the delay,” said a DCO official.
According to sources, the helpline at the DCO office in Lucknow is still receiving complaints from people that enumerators have not reached their localities for survey. In the last one week, such complaints have poured mostly from Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi.
After the completion of the field survey, the district in-charges will submit the data by the end of this month. While the data of 46 districts will be brought to the Lucknow office, the remaining will be sent to New Delhi. “In the next six months, the data will be scanned and analysed. Then it will be used to prepare the report on Housing Census and House Listing as well as NPR,” said Ansari. The second phase of Census will begin in February 2011.

PM और मंत्री-समूह से जाति जनगणना का विरोध करने की अपील

नई दिल्ली. ‘सबल’ भारत द्वारा संचालित ‘मेरी जाति हिन्दुस्तानी’ आंदोलन ने प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह और जाति जनगणना के मसले पर गठित मंत्री-समूह के अध्यक्ष प्रणव मुखर्जी तथा उसके सदस्यों को पत्र लिखकर अनुरोध किया है कि वे वर्ष २क्११ की जनगणना में जाति को शामिल करने का फैसला न करें।आंदोलन के राष्ट्रीय संयोजक डॉ. वेदप्रताप वैदिक की ओर से भेजे गए पत्र में कहा गया है कि जाति जनगणना जैसे गंभीर मामले में जल्दबाजी में फैसला लेना देशहित में नहीं होगा। पत्र में इस मसले पर समाज के सभी वर्गो के प्रबुद्ध लोगों की राय का उल्लेख करते हुए बताया गया है कि गृह राज्यमंत्री अजय माकन ने जाति जनगणना का विरोध किया है।
लोकसभा अध्यक्ष मीरा कुमार, भाजपा नेता मुरली मनोहर जोशी, राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ के सरसंचालक मोहन भागवत, शिवसेना प्रमुख बाल ठाकरे, शिरोमणि गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमेटी ने भी जाति जनगणना को देश के लिए खतरनाक बताया है। ‘सबल’ भारत के साथ जुड़े सोमनाथ चटर्जी, बलराम जाखड़, वसंत साठे, जगमोहन और डॉ कपिला वात्स्यायन जैसे लोगों ने भी जाति जनगणना को अनावश्यक बताया है।
जस्टिस केएस वर्मा, जस्टिस राजेंद्र सच्चर, राम जेठमलानी, फली नरीमन और सोली सोराबजी ने भी इसे देश के लिए विघटनकारी बताया है। देश के प्रमुख आध्यात्मिक और धार्मिक नेताओं ने जातिवाद को मानव धर्म के खिलाफ घोषित किया है। वैदिक ने मंत्रियों को लिखे अपने पत्र में कहा है कि जाति जनगणना से वंचित वर्गो को लाभ मिलने के बजाए नुकसान होगा।
वंचितों में भी कई ऊंची-नीची जातियां उठ खड़ी होंगी और ऐसे लोग भी विशेष सुविधाओं के लिए दावे करेंगे, जिसकी उन्हें वास्तव में जरूरत नहीं है। उन्होंने पत्र के अंत में लिखा है, ‘अगर देश की गरीबी दूर करना है तो जातियों के आंकड़े इकट्ठा करने की बजाए गरीबी के आंकड़े और कारणों की खोज की जानी चाहिए। यही वैज्ञानिक जनगणना है।’

जाति आधारित जनगणना में देरी पर सरकार का होगा भारी विरोध: शरद

जदयू अध्यक्ष शरद यादव ने कहा है कि जाति के आधार पर जनगणना में और ‘‘देरी’’ हुयी तो सरकार को संयुक्त विपक्ष के विरोध का सामना करना पड़ेगा और उनकी पार्टी महिला आरक्षण विधेयक को उसके मौजूदा स्वरूप में विरोध करती रहेगी.
जाति के आधार पर जनगणना में देरी को लेकर केंद्र सरकार की खिंचाई करते हुए यादव ने कहा, ‘‘जनगणना में जाति को शामिल किए जाने पर राजग एवं संप्रग दोनों में पूर्ण सहमति है. एक दो सदस्यों को छोड़कर कांग्रेस में इसका व्यापक समर्थन है. अगर वे देरी के लिए बहाना बनाते हैं तो इसे स्वीकार नहीं किया जाएगा.’’ उन्होंने साक्षात्कार में कहा कि इस मुद्दे पर मंत्रियों के समूह के गठन को लेकर संदेह पैदा होता है कि सरकार इसमें देर करना चाहती है.
यादव ने हाल ही में आरोप लगाया था कि केंद्र सरकार मामले में देर करना चाहती है. महिला आरक्षण विधेयक के मुद्दे पर उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘मौजूदा स्वरूप में विधेयक को समर्थन देने का सवाल ही नहीं है. इस संबंध में हमारा विरोध नया नहीं है. हम इसका खुलेआम विरोध कर रहे हैं. कांग्रेस सहित विभिन्न दलों में अधिकतर नेता इसे नहीं चाहते लेकिन वे सार्वजनिक रूप से इसे व्यक्त नहीं कर सकते.’’
यादव ने कहा, ‘‘सवाल संप्रग या राजग का नहीं है. अगर पार्टियां व्हिप जारी नहीं करती हैं तो विधेयक गिर जाएगा. उसे कहीं से समर्थन नहीं मिलेगा.’’ उन्होंने याद किया कि वित्त मंत्री प्रणव मुखर्जी ने उन्हें और मौजूदा स्वरूप में विधेयक का विरोध करने वाले अन्य लोगों को आश्वस्त किया था कि इस संबंध में एक सर्वदलीय बैठक के बाद ही फैसला किया जाएगा.
यह पूछे जाने पर कि अगले सत्र के दौरान लोकसभा में विधेयक पेश किए जाने पर विपक्ष की क्या प्रतिक्रिया होगी, यादव ने कहा, ‘‘वे इस प्रकार कैसे विधेयक पारित करवा सकते हैं. इसका लोकसभा में भारी विरोध होगा. यह राज्यसभा नहीं है जहां उन्होंने नौ मार्च को मार्शल की मदद से सदस्यों को बाहर कर विधेयक पारित करवा लिया.’’ यादव ने उच्च सदन में विधेयक के पारित होने के दौरान पार्टी के अंदर मतभेद उभरने की बात को बहुत तवज्जो नहीं दी.

'स्कूल चलें हम'सर्वे जनगणना की तर्ज पर

इंदौर. 'स्कूल चलें हम' अभियान का सर्वेक्षण पूरी तरह जनगणना की तर्ज पर ही किया जाएगा। जनगणना में लगे कर्मचारियों को ही यह काम सौंप दिया है। विभाग ने इसका तारीखवार कार्यक्रम भी जारी कर दिया है। यह प्रदेशभर में लागू है। शहरों में कामकाजी बच्चों की अधिकता देखते हुए विभाग ने उन्हें विशेष प्राथमिकता देने के लिए कहा है। राज्य शिक्षा केंद्र ने सभी कलेक्टर व निगमायुक्त को सर्वेक्षण संबंधी आदेश भेजे है। इसमें कहा गया है सर्वे के दौरान मतदाता सूची का प्रयोग जरूर होगा। साथ ही शहरी क्षेत्रों में प्लेटफार्म, दुकानों, बस स्टैंड और सार्वजनिक स्थानों पर काम करने वाले बच्चों पर विशेष ध्यान दिया जाएगा। 31 जुलाई तक सर्वे होगा। इसके बाद 15 अगस्त तक प्रत्येक बच्चे की एंट्री विभाग के पोर्टल पर करना होगी।