Two Members of Parliament from Kerala have introduced two significant Private Member’s Bills in the Rajya Sabha, seeking reforms on ensuring regular population censuses and protecting employees from excessive after-hours work demands.
Kerala MP Haris Beeran of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has moved the Census Amendment Bill, 2024, proposing changes to the Census Act, 1948 to mandate at least one nationwide Census every ten years. Beeran argued that the absence of a statutory requirement for periodic data collection could undermine access to government schemes and the effective implementation of constitutionally mandated social justice policies.
“The Constitution and the Census Act do not mandate a census at regular intervals, even though India has historically conducted one every ten years,” the Bill noted. The last Census was conducted in 2011, and the 2021 Census was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a six-year delay. The first phase of the next Census is now scheduled to begin on April 1 and conclude in February 2027.
Beeran’s Bill also emphasises the importance of caste-wise data, arguing that detailed demographic information is essential to prevent wrongful inclusion or exclusion of communities in reservation policies, enable sub-categorisation within reserved categories, and determine criteria for the creamy layer. The Bill said the lack of detailed data has allowed dominant castes and elites to corner a disproportionate share of resources and power.
Meanwhile, in a separate initiative, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, seeking to guarantee employees the right to disengage from work-related communication outside official working hours. The proposed law aims to address the “always-on” digital work culture that has blurred the boundary between professional and personal life, particularly in the post-pandemic era of remote and hybrid work.
Rahim said young professionals, especially in IT, platform and service sectors, have been disproportionately affected by constant pressure to remain available after office hours.
“Studies consistently indicate high levels of work-related stress among Indian professionals outside regular working hours, with young workers and women being among the most affected,” Rahim said according to The Hindu.
The Bill proposes that employees should not face disciplinary action, negative performance reviews, or career disadvantages for exercising their right to disconnect. It would require companies to frame formal policies defining working hours, after-hours communication protocols, emergency exceptions, and mechanisms to promote digital wellness and mental health.
Similar laws have been enacted in countries such as France, Belgium, Portugal and Australia, though enforcement varies by jurisdiction. Rahim said India currently lacks any legal framework to address after-hours digital work stress.