Census 2021: How India will be counted

India has begun preparations for what is one of the world’s largest head-count exercises — its Census. The Census gives us a clear picture of who India is– its demography, how they live, what they do– and is the basis on which key policies are formulated. But how do you go about counting the second-most populous country in the world? First, Amitava Chakraborty, who writes for the Sunday Express and reported on the pre-Census tests, explains how the Census is carried out and why the 2021 Census will be different in terms of questions asked and methods used. Next, Karishma Mehrotra, who reports on the intersection of technology, society and politics, discusses how the Census data collection has changed over the decades and how the Ministry of Home Affairs is attempting to speed up the process of releasing this information. Last, why the OBC category may not be counted in the 2021 Census.