- Entry 69 of the Union List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India deals with the Census.
- It grants exclusive legislative power to Parliament over matters related to the conduct of the census across the entire country.
Scope and meaning
- Covers all aspects of population census and houselisting operations.
- Includes authority over methodology, timing, data collection, processing, publication, and confidentiality of census data.
- Empowers the Union to ensure uniformity and standardisation in census operations throughout India.
Constitutional and legal basis
- Entry 69 is implemented through the Census Act, 1948, which provides the statutory framework for conducting the census.
- Under this Act, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India is appointed to supervise census operations.
Why census is a Union subject
- Census data has nationwide implications for:
- Delimitation of constituencies
- Allocation of resources and fiscal transfers
- Formulation of national policies and welfare schemes
- Demographic, social, and economic planning
- Central control avoids fragmentation, duplication, and inconsistency that could arise if states conducted separate censuses.
