The Union government has said that the projected population of India is over 139 crore as of July 1, 2023. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on whether India had become the most populous country in the world, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that according to the Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections published by Union Health Ministry’s National Commission on Population, the projected population of India as of July 1 was 139,23,29,000, or 1.39 billion. This was lower than China’s projected population of 1.42 billion.
After the census of 2011, the next one was due two years ago, but when all preparations were almost ready, the Covid pandemic struck. Even as the country recovered, the government of India chose to postpone it, after the next year’s Lok Sabha elections. But no official word so far, even minister Nityanand Rai, in his parliamentary response, did not specify when the government planned to conduct the next census in the country.
As per the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division’s online publication, World Population Prospectus 2022, the total projected population of China as on July 1, 2023, is 142,56,71,000, Nityanand said. He was responding to a question from Deepak Baij, Congress MP from Chattisgarh.
On whether the Union government proposed to conduct a census for ascertaining accurate data so that the benefits of social schemes could reach the disadvantaged people, and the time by which the government proposed to conduct the next census, the Minister merely said, “The intent of the Government for conducting Census 2021 was notified in the Gazette of India on March 28, 2019. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census 2021 and the related field activities have been postponed.”
According to the 2011 Census of India, the population of the country was 121,08,54,977 (1.21 billion). In the absence of an updated census, many eligible for programmes such as subsidised food grains through the Public Distribution System under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are yet to be enrolled, it is pointed out.
The Supreme Court has directed the Union government to increase the coverage under NFSA to include poor persons left out. States like Andhra Pradesh have been seeking coverage of more beneficiaries under the NFSA, noting that at the moment various governments are put to huge financial burden, as they are footing the bill needed to reach out to those still outside the ambit of such schemes.