Census: What it takes and why it matters

FIRST EXERCISE IN 16 YEARS WILL BE CONDUCTED DIGITALLY

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India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year.

The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence.

The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027, in a statement Wednesday night.

India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country, according to the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021, but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles.

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