Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India

Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India

Part of: Prelims and GS-I- Population and Census

Context The Union government had recently told the Supreme Court that the caste data enumerated in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 was “unusable”, but in 2016, the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India had informed the Standing Committee on Rural Development that 98.87% of the data on individual caste and religion was “error free”.

What is the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India?

• Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, was founded in 1961 by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Role: Arranging, conducting and analysing the results of the demographic surveys of India including Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India. 
• The position of Registrar is usually held by a civil servant holding the rank of Joint Secretary.

What is the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC)?

• Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), which collected the first figures on caste since 1931, is the largest exercise of the enumeration of caste. 
• SECC supplies data to differentiate the socio-economic status of households based on housing, educational status, landholding, differently abled, occupation, possession of assets, SC/ST households, incomes etc.
• The Census thus provides a portrait of the Indian population, while the SECC is a tool to identify beneficiaries of state support.