A group of former bureaucrats have raised concerns about the inclusion of personal data such as parents' names, spouses' names, permanent residential addresses, nationality, and number of bank accounts in the Census 2027 questionnaire, stating that much of this information appears to have little relevance for generating population statistics or informing public policy.
On Wednesday, a group of retired bureaucrats expressed their concern over the inclusion of various personal data in the upcoming Census 2027 questionnaire. The questionnaire includes 12 questions that were not asked in previous censuses, such as questions seeking parents’ names, spouses’ names, permanent residential addresses, their nationality, the place where they got their Covid-19 vaccine, number of bank accounts, mobile phone, and details of Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, and driving licence. The group stated that much of this information appears to have little relevance for generating population statistics or informing public policy.
The retired bureaucrats also pointed out that some of the newly introduced questions, particularly those seeking details about the respondents’ religion and the place of birth of both parents, could facilitate preparation or updating of the National Population Register (NPR), which in turn is associated with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NPR is a list of all the usual residents of India, while the NRC is an exercise to create a list of Indian citizens and to identify undocumented immigrants.
In their letter, the bureaucrats did not oppose the preparation of a register of citizens. However, they urged for it to be undertaken transparently, through an explicitly defined process, rather than using the census as a surrogate mechanism. They also raised concerns about the enumerators asking open-ended questions to record caste details of respondents, stating that the questionnaire does not provide a reliable means of establishing the numbers of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic communities.
The collection of census data should be driven by the statistical outputs it is intended to produce, according to the retired bureaucrats. They added that the census exercise should not create opportunities for profiling communities or individuals. The question asking for the name of a spouse was especially intrusive, they wrote, as the government may have statutory authority to ask questions under the census framework, but citizens retain constitutional protections of individual liberty and privacy.
The letter was signed by 108 signatories, including Punjab’s former Director General of Police Julio Ribeiro, Delhi’s former Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, former Indian ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya, former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, former Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and former Indian Administrative Service officer and activist Harsh Mander.
Source:
Scroll.in
