Census-2011 to be launched today

To create a comprehensive identity database in the country, the Government will launch Census-2011 here today.

The census operation, to be formally launched by President Pratibha Patil, would cover 1.2 billion residents of the country living in all 35 states and Union Territories.

It will be an endeavour to compile the National Population Register (NPR), based on biometric information in which photos of all residents above 15 years old will be featured.

The 2011 Census will also be the forerunner to the launching of the national Unique Identity Number (UID) that is being conceptualized by former Infosys head Nandan Nilekini.

Home Secretary G K Pillai has said after completion of the exercise, the largest census to be attempted in the history of mankind, a National Population Register (NPR) will be created in which the government will have the entire population of the country in one database.

"Once the NPR is completed we will have the photographs of the entire population. First time we will be able to have specific information about the entire usual residents of the country," he added.

The whole exercise will be conducted in two phases. The first phase from April to September this year will involve house listing and housing census. The second phase will involve population enumeration, which will be carried out between February 9 and 28 next year.

The census would cover all 640 districts, 5767 tehsils, 7742 towns and more than six lakhs villages.

Over 24 crores households will be visited and 1.20 billion people enumerated during this exercise. To carry out this massive exercise more than 2.5 million people will be engaged. (ANI)