Census beyond numbers

Political fallouts will have to be managed carefully

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The Union government on Wednesday announced that the next Census would be conducted in two phases. The first phase will cover hilly parts of the country, such as Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, by October 1, 2026. The second phase, which is scheduled for completion by March 1, 2027, will cover the rest of the country. The Census, originally scheduled for 2021, was initially postponed due to the pandemic, but was delayed even after normalcy returned for reasons that remain unclear. Nevertheless, the fact that the government has now given a schedule must be welcomed. The upcoming Census, being conducted after a 16-year gap, will also include detailed caste data for the first time since Independence. The last caste Census was conducted in 1931.