The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed that the government has spent ₹24.84 crore on the development of mobile and web applications, the Census Monitoring and Management System (CMMS) portal, and associated tasks. This information was disclosed by the MHA today.
Members of Parliament have raised inquiries regarding the persistent delay in conducting the Census, despite the removal of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. They also inquired whether the government has established deadlines for completing the preliminary Census activities, including the freezing of administrative boundaries and house listing.
In response, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated that the government’s intention to conduct Census 2021 was officially announced in the Gazette of India on March 28, 2019. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census 2021 and its related field operations were postponed until further notice. The deadline for freezing administrative unit boundaries has been extended to December 31, 2022.
Regarding the development of the mobile application for the Census and associated costs, the Minister clarified that mobile and web applications for data collection, along with the CMMS portal for managing and monitoring Census-related activities, have been created. The government has already spent ₹24.84 crore on the development of these mobile and web applications, the CMMS portal, and related endeavors.
Before each Census, states are obligated to provide information about changes in the number of officially recognized districts, villages, towns, and other administrative units, including tehsils, talukas, and police stations, to the Registrar General of India (RGI). This process is known as “freezing the boundaries.”
