15th Census (Socio Economic Caste Census, 2011)

Census is the basis for reviewing the country’s progress in the past decade, monitoring the on-going schemes of the government and plan for the future

  • Census provides detailed and authentic information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, language, religion, migration, disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data.

Important Facts on Census

  • First Census: The first complete census of India was conducted in 1830 by Henry Walter in Dacca (now Dhaka). In this census the statistics of the population with sex, broad age group, and the houses with their amenities were collected.
  • Second Census: Second Census was conducted in 1836-37 by Fort St. George according to the government website of Census India.
  • Census is held every 10 years. Census of 2011 is 15th such exercise and 16th is due in 2021. 2011 was the largest such exercise in the world.
  • After Independence, Parliament passed the Census Act of 1948 and created a post of Census Commissioner.
  • First Caste Census: 1931
  • Second Caste Census: SECC, 2011
  • Census is conducted by: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India).

15th Census (Socio Economic Caste Census, 2011)

The 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The first step in the 2011 census was conducting house listing in 2010 in every village, town and city in India. Along with it a Housing census was also conducted. The questionnaire had as many as 35 questions and collected valuable data.

  • The enumeration of households took place from February 9 to 28, 2011 and the provisional results were declared towards the end of March 2011.
  • The Census 2011 covered 28 States, 7 Union Territories, 640 districts, 5924 sub-districts, 7, 933 Towns (Statutory Towns-4041, Census Towns-3892) and 6, 40, 930 villages. In Census 2001, the corresponding figures were 593 districts, 5, 463 sub-districts, 5, 161 Towns (3799 Statutory Towns and 1362 Census Towns) and 6, 38, 588 villages.

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