Centre unlikely to conduct Census before Lok Sabha elections 2024

The central government is unlikely to conduct the decadal Census before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, expected to take place in April-May that year.

The gigantic exercise involves training 3 million enumerators who would visit houses in two phases to collect the data.

“No preparation has begun to conduct the Census. Fieldwork started in April 2020 — eight to nine months beforehand. There is little time left to conduct the Census in April 2023. If the Census is not done next year, it is unlikely to be conducted in 2024 because it will clash with the schedule for the general