New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI): The Registrar General of India (RGI) has directed district magistrates and municipal commissioners to identify villages, habitations and communities vulnerable to threats or intimidation that could hamper the free conduct of the Census and carry out vulnerability mapping.
The RGI took cognisance of the possibility that some areas could be left out of the Census due to inaccessibility or prevailing socio-economic realities.
It has asked officials to conduct a revenue village-wise exercise to “identify the villages/hamlets/habitats and segments of people vulnerable to any threat, intimidation or interference” with the free conduct of the Census.
The RGI also directed that special areas such as military installations will not be covered during the ongoing housing census.
A pan-India helpline number — 1855 — has also been launched for the Census.
“The Charge Officers shall do this exercise by touring their areas extensively and in consultation with the local village officials – patwaris, lekhpals, talattis and village administrative officers,” a directive issued by Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Narayan Singh to all states and Union territories recently said.
It said local police officers (SHOs) and civil authorities such as block development officers (BDOs) should also be consulted before finalising the list.
“They should identify the source of such threat or intimidation and the persons likely to spearhead such offence of undue influence. While doing this exercise they shall take into account both past incidents and current apprehensions,” the directive said.
Officials have also been asked to identify a point of contact within vulnerable habitats or communities so that developments can be tracked constantly.
“The Charge Officer and Principal Census Officer (PCO) should compile all such information and finalise the vulnerability mapping for the entire charge/district respectively,” it said.
In Census parlance, the Principal Census Officers are the district magistrates and municipal commissioners.
The RGI directed that Charge Officers and PCOs should make special arrangements to ensure a free and fair Census in vulnerable areas. They have been asked to undertake visits to such locations, meet communities and explain the purpose and arrangements of the Census.
The Census Commissioner also asked district intelligence units to remain alert on the issue and provide regular feedback to the PCO through the district superintendent of police.
“The village-wise vulnerability mapping for the district should be available with the District Census Officers (DCOs). Officials from the DCO should compulsorily visit such locations, interact with villagers and constantly monitor developments,” the directive said.
The RGI also said the PCO and the district superintendent of police should hold a joint review and finalise a focused action plan to address potential threats or intimidation.
Officials have been asked to pay special attention to verify whether people from vulnerable habitats and communities are being properly enumerated.
“In case they find that some sections of the people are not being enumerated or that false information is being recorded or returned, they should immediately inform the Charge Officer/PCO,” the directive said.
It added that the Charge Officer and PCO should dispatch squads to visit such areas to ensure that there is no overt or covert hindrance to enumeration and closely monitor the situation.
After the Census, the Charge Officer and PCO will submit a village-wise written report to the DCO indicating whether people from vulnerable habitats were fully and correctly enumerated.
“If any complaint is received or information gathered from any source about obstruction or threat to any section of the population, the same shall be enquired into by the local administration without delay,” it said.
The Census, the eighth since Independence, is being conducted in two phases – the first stage, known as house listing and housing census (HLO), and the second stage, the population census.
Field visits for the housing listing and housing census began on April 16 in several states and union territories. Enumerators will list all structures, houses and households across the country to create a foundation for population enumeration.
The month-long exercise will be notified by each state and union territory between April 1 and September 30.
Field visits will be preceded by a 15-day window for self-enumeration, during which citizens can answer HLO phase questions through a portal and generate a special ID to be shared with enumerators during verification.
In a first, the exercise will be conducted entirely digitally, with enumerators using a dedicated mobile application to collect data.
During the housing listing operations, enumerators will physically visit each house and building and ask 33 questions regarding basic facilities in homes, details of the head of the household such as name and sex, ownership status and other information.
The second phase of the Census – the population enumeration – will begin next year. PTI ABS NB
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
