How Census data can be used for massive public benefit programs…
As I entered my living room, I heard Amitabh Bachchan’s voice — 12 va sawaal 12,50,000 rupayo ke liye apke computer screen par yeh raha… It was a KBC Karamveer episode featuring Gyanendra Purohit and Monica Purohit, who champion the cause of the Deaf & Speech-Impaired Community of India. To my surprise, during a conversation, Gyanendra & Monica revealed that the Government of India doesn’t possess the exact data on physically disabled persons and that they go from village to village to increase awareness & provide them with education & care. I wondered why even in these Digital times do we lack such critical data? Why do we depend upon a survey by individuals/NGOs? Why do we need the middleman?
Then it hit my mind. Why can’t the world’s biggest data collection drive “The India Census” be used to gather such important information? Indian Census, the biggest administrative exercise in the world, employs 25 lakh people, takes 2–3 years to complete & costs 10,000+ Crore. It covers data from 6 lakh+ villages, 7500+ towns & 700+ districts, using a total of 7 lakh tons of paper. 7 lakh tons…Can you imagine..!! Though after study, I understood that the Government collects disability data, I observed some crucial problems with this sensitive information, which need to be addressed. Some of the most important issues faced during the 2011 Census were completeness and accuracy of data, and experience of enumerators (person who collects the data). As we embark on the journey to the latest 16th edition of the Census in 2021, here is my take on what all Government of India can do with small tweaks in the data collection mechanism to maximize its output.
- The Digital Census: Why are we still thinking about Census on paper, why don’t we have a mobile application for this? You know what. The government took me by surprise there. They have already created an application for Mobile Census. Progressive…Right? But I still doubt the efficacy of this plan. Handing out mobile apps to Census people would be the same as giving computers to SBI Staff. No offense. But they are slow to learn & evolve. Also, we have seen the implementation effectiveness of this Government during Demonetization & GST. No doubt it exhibits vision & reform, but its implementation skills are of a 9-year-old.
For me, to implement this program the Government needs to look at its implementation failures in past & learn from mistakes. It needs to start the training programs immediately & create an incentive-driven program to increase the accuracy of data. Along with training, The Government can use features such as Mandatory Inputs, Geo fencing & Tagging, Face recognition of enumerators, Error Messaging & Data Validation, Dropdown & Restricted data types to enhance the quality of inputs.
Think about this. The current census asks for the occupation of a newborn & working sector of an unemployed. Creating a dynamic form, instead of a linear one would allow the enumerators to take only relevant inputs. The dynamic form will enable/disabled fields as per previous selections & bring forward the relevant form as per Family Type/Occupation/House Type.
One most important point, The Digital form coupled with AADHAR linking would enable the Government to Pre-populate the person’s data from the previous census. This would reduce the time of subsequent census & eliminate human intervention. This will, in turn, reduce the frequency of the Census every 10 years to a lesser duration.
2) Include all: As per government sources, the most important aspect of the Census is the Disbursement of Government funds to people in need. But how does the Government take records of Orphans, Homeless people, or Elderly in Old age homes? This means the one living on the streets would continue to live there. If these people are not properly marked in Census then how would they be part of Government social security & public benefit programs?
Now, what’s the solution? How can we do that? We would need data from NGOs, State governments of Rain Basehra’s & other such sources to identify the target audience. I know the problem is tedious & requires large scale thinking & problem solving, but only this would make the Census complete by disbursing the funds to the needy. This would allow us to provide Health care & education benefits to such people directly.
3) Some new questions: The Census contains two forms — 1) House listing form, questions include materials used in the house, condition of the house, number of rooms, water connection and availability, and basic information on the people living in that household. 2) Population enumeration, questions include sex, disability, birthplace, and Religion & literacy status. With the digital form coming in we can accommodate more & details questions such as:
- Employment & Skill level — This would allow us to identify unemployed people with the desired skill level for various government & private jobs. This database can serve as a Naukri profile & give a massive boost to Skill India Initiative. Also, this would allow the Government to direct benefits transfer by eliminating the middleman.
- Disability & Backward Caste Details — Disability mapping would allow us to provide them the social status & education that they deserve. Also, backward caste detail would tag the current generation of Government benefits & pave a way for reservation elimination in long term.
- Mapping of Disaster Prone/ Natural resource deficit areas: Some say the 3rd World War would be fought for Water & sometimes I agree. If through Census we can marks areas with Water Deficit or Prone to disasters such as floods or earthquakes, then it would be easier for government to drive massive scale forestation & relocate people during disasters.
- Data on Unregulated Employees/Farmers: Tagging such people would allow us to get farmer-wise Land availability, Crops grown, Insurance availability, Debt, etc, allowing the government to correctly assess the quantum of agricultural produce and setting the MSP accordingly, increasing Farm income.
4) Processing & Distribution of Data: While confidentiality about Census data is guaranteed by the Census Act, 1948, we all know how confidential our AADHAR/Other data are. If we know this why this data can’t be used judiciously. There are millions of NGOs, spending billions of rupees each year to help such people. What they lack is the availability of digital & accurate data to serve. How many of you want to distribute sweets/clothes to orphans on Diwali & teach them during Holidays. I know many. But due to a lack of data, we fail to do so. Proper processing & availability of this data would allow relevant individuals & organization to access the data & serve the needy to who the Government can’t.
In conclusion, The India Census is a valuable exercise, and I understand the difficulty to survey 1.35 B people most of whom can’t even spell their names. I realize that Government is adept at making large-scale reforms in the Census by bringing a Digital touch. However, the Census must adapt itself to the new information age & make substantial improvements in various aspects of the Census. At the same time, enumerators must be held accountable for accuracy, completeness & quality of data, ensuring an efficient & fair Census.
Find my work interesting, Follow my blog for more content !!
