Census of India 2011 : Provisional Population Totals: Paper 1 of 2011 (India Series I)
Contents: 1. Introductory Note. 2. A Prelude to analysis. 3. Size, growth rate and distribution of pollution. 4. Size, growth rate and distribution of child pollution. 5. Gender composition of the population. 6. State of literacy. 7. Density of population. 8. Population projections. Provisional population tables and annexures.
From Introductory Note: Census 2011 marks a milestone in the history of Census taking in the country. It has come at a time when India is perhaps at an inflexion point in history, when it sheds the legacy of the past and emerges among the comity of Nations as a strong, selfreliant and modern Nation. The basic benchmark statistics on the state of human resources, demography, culture and economic structure at this crucial juncture of the country’s history would be vital to guide and shape the future course of the Nation.
In a country like India, with multiethnic, multilingual, multicultural and multilevel society, the Census is much more than a mere head count of the population. It gives a snapshot of not only the demographic but also the economic, social and cultural profile of the country at a particular point of time. More often than not, it is the only available source of primary data at the level of the village and town (ward). It provides valuable information forplanning and formulation of policies by the Government and is also used widely by National and International agencies, scholars, business persons, industrialists, and many more. In addition, the Census provides a basic frame for conduct of other surveys in the country. Any informed decision making that is based on empirical data is dependent on the Census. Democratic processes like the delimitation of electoral constituencies and affirmative action like reservation are also based on the basic data sets of the Census. It has indeed come a long way from what was described as the idle curiosity of an eccentric sirkar (Molony,1911)1 . No wonder therefore, that Census 2011 has adopted an apt tagline Our Census, Our Future!
