NCM appoints panel to scan Census figures

Even as the Census Commission withdrew its 2001 report to readjust the Muslim growth rate from 36.02 pc to 29.3 pc, the National Commission ...

Even as the Census Commission withdrew its 2001 report to readjust the Muslim growth rate from 36.02 pc to 29.3 pc, the National Commission for Minorities today appointed four noted population experts to analyse the data threadbare. NCM chairperson Tarlochan Singh said the 8216;8216;committee would analyse the Census report minutely to enable the NCM to prepare roadmaps for different minority groups8217;8217;.

Prof Ashish Bose, Director of the Society for Applied Research on Humanities, would head the panel. The other members include Prof P.M. Kulkarni of the Centre for Studies on Regional Development JNU, Prof Mari Bhat of the Population Research Centre JNU and T.K. Roy of the Kolkata-based International Institute of Population Study. They would meet tomorrow to prepare a brief.

Bose, who had released the Census 2001 report, was the first to question the high Muslim growth rate indicated in the introductory chapter.

8216;8216;Among the six major religious communities, the decadal growth of the Muslims is the highest 36.0 pc in the 2001 Census,8217;8217; the report said, which he found to be 8216;8216;abnormally high8217;8217;.

Kulkarni, who has conducted extensive research on Hindu-Muslim differentials in South Asia, said: 8216;8216;The mistake made in computing percentage gave the exaggerated differential between the two communities. By straightaway using 1991 as the denominator and 2001 as the nominator, they arrived at an erroneous figure.8217;8217;

Besides, Hindu growth rate has also been wrongly shown as 20.4 pc, whereas it is 19.9 pc. 8216;8216;Since the margin of error in case of the Muslim community is greater, it is catching everyone8217;s eye,8217;8217; Kulkarni said.

Home Ministry slams Bainthia8217;s 8216;error8217;

	nbsp;	NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry, unhappy with the manner in which Census Commissioner A.K. Bainthia handled the sensitive data on religion, has termed it 8216;8216;an error of judgement8217;8217; on his part. Home Secretary Dhirendra Singh spoke to Bainthia on Wednesday, asking him to explain the manner in which comparisons were made with earlier data on growth rate of Muslims. Singh later told the Express that I038;B Secretary Naveen Chawla has been asked to analyse the data. MoS Home Shriprakash Jaiswal said there could also be a departmental probe to see if the data was released in this manner 8216;8216;deliberately8217;8217;.8212; ENS.	nbsp;