It was doubtless this consideration which in 1948 prompted the Constituent Assembly to convert the census operation into a permanent institution from an ad hoc mechanism, to be suspended after each 10-year count, which it was before Independence. It was also made obligatory for all citizens to respond to the headcount. The idea of the census came to be established after India passed under the direct rule of the British Crown following the first war of independence in 1857. It was important for the colonial authority to assemble detailed empirical knowledge of the territory it governed in order to pursue colonial goals all the better. An independent country, of course, has a different objective. It needs to map the life conditions of its citizens so that meaningful comparisons with the past are made possible, and then direct its energies with a view to bringing about positive change.

It is hardly surprising that the questions to be asked of respondents undergo changes from time to time. This time, for instance, the factor of physical disability has entered the survey. At the end of the operation, a staggering amount of data on age, fertility, education, occupation, housing, health and social status would emerge, to be analysed under expert scrutiny.

As President KR Narayanan has observed, the census in India is a vital planning tool. Considering this, the government could have prepared the people through the mass media to answer the 23 questions posed by the survey with somewhat greater sensitivity. This would have helped to dispel any misgivings. For instance, it is important for citizens to know that the information gleaned through the census cannot be exploited in court proceedings. The eventual purpose of the exercise is to gain knowledge in order to extend the dispersal of benefits within the system. This is consistent with building democracy.