Union Budget 2024-25: Census, NPR unlikely in 2024 too as only ₹1,309.46 crore allocated
The Hindu
Budget 2024-25 allocates ₹1,309.46 crore for census, indicating a delay in the decadal exercise due to COVID-19.
The Budget 2024-24 on July 23 allocated ₹1,309.46 crore for census, a significant reduction from 2021-22 when ₹3,768 crore was allocated for the decadal exercise, an indication that it may not be carried out even after a significant delay.
A meeting of the Union cabinet on December 24, 2019 had approved the proposal for conducting census of India 2021 at a cost of ₹8,754.23 crore and updating the National Population Register (NPR) at a cost of ₹3,941.35 crore.
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The house listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the NPR were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The census operation continues to be on hold and the government has not yet announced the new schedule.
Officials said since general elections had taken place this year, the census exercise will not be able to be carried out in 2024.
According to the Budget 2024-25, ₹1,309.46 crore has been allocated for census surveys and statistics, and it was ₹578.29 in 2023-24.