Bravo, Census

In a remarkable display of sophisticated data capture and number crunching, the Census of India has made available some preliminary numbers for Census 2011 whose enumeration was completed just weeks ago. India’s decadal population growth rate continues its predictable decline from the peak of 24.8% over 1961-71 , touching 17.64%, the lowest since Independence. This, though, is higher than the Central Statistical Organisation’s estimate, resulting in the enumerated total population being 121 crore, about 3 crore higher than the CSO’s forecast. Population growth in Assam and West Bengal is lower than the national average, suggesting that fears in some quarters over an immigrant flood from Bangladesh are greatly exaggerated. There is some good news on the literacy front while gender discrimination continues to be worrisome. The total literacy rate has improved 9.2 percentage points to 74%. Sure, this leaves a quarter of the population still illiterate. But it is heartening to note that female literacy has gone up sharply, moving up 11.7 percentage points to 65.46%.

Male literacy, too, has climbed, albeit more slowly, rising 6.8 percentage points to reach 82.14%. But the story is starkly different when it comes to measures of gender equality. The sex ratio measures the number of females in the population to 1,000 males. In the absence of discrimination, the ratio would be above 1,000. The actual ratio is 940 for 2011, up from 933 in 2001. This might seem marginal improvement. But the sex ratio for children up to the age of six is an abysmal 914 for the country as a whole and is adverse even in a state like Kerala, where the overall figure for the population as a whole is favourable. When these children grow up, they can only worsen the sex ratio for the population as a whole. And this does not augur well for the nourishment of body and mind that future generations of Indians would have received as they enter the workforce. Census 2011 boasts the tag line, Our Census, Our Future. Census data would play a role in shaping the future if it is made available in time to form the basis of policy. It appears that the complete 2011 Census data would be made available relatively fast, living up to that promise.