Vital statistics >> SRS Newletters >> eCENSUSIndia : Issue Number 4 : 2001
 
Census News :

Data Dissemination : With the popularity of Personal Computers and Internet in India and also across the world, the mode of dissemination of statistical data everywhere is undergoing major change. From printed voluminous census reports the modes of data dissemination have now changed to more user friendly floppy diskette or CD-ROM. Facilities also exist in many countries for on-line statistical data network dedicated to registered users. Most important mode of data dissemination today is however the use of Internet. Using the world wide web Census, or for that matter any large volume statistical data, are being made available instantly across the globe in user friendly formats.

In tune with the world trend the Census Organisation in India is contemplating using Internet as the most important medium of disseminating 2001 Census results. Already all the Provisional Results of 2001 Census declared so far have been made available free of cost at the Census of India website. More changes are contemplated to make available the census data to government planners, administration, NGOs, research scholars, universities, schools and libraries, business and industrial houses to instantly access the Census data. A data dissemination strategy is being formulated to address the issue in its totality, where data users will be able to select the table in the format it is published by the Census or even request for customised tables of choice. Another area where considerable resource mobilisation being attempted is in the field of Internet GIS. Digital database of maps is proposed to be made available at the Census website along with Census data for the data users to select and view thematic maps on different subjects. This would be particularly useful to data users in incorporating maps in their reports and presentations using Census data.

Permanent Location Code Number (PLCN) : One of the most important features of the Census of India 2001 is the adoption of Permanent Location Code Number (PLCN) to identify every village in India. In India as per the 2001 Census there are about 0.64 million (or 6.4 lakh villages). New code numbers are assigned to these villages before every census and as a result it becomes difficult to compare these huge village level databases generated. Besides, as new villages are formed or existing villages are merged or split or even disappear, keeping track of the village identity is a formidable task. Special provision of two dummy digits has been made in these codes to absorb these changes over the censuses. The regime introduced by the formulation and adoption of the PLCN will particularly benefit non-census organisations who have to undertake surveys and collect statistics in between the two censuses.

2001 Census Maps : One of the important additions to the Census of India website is the latest maps showing administrative boundaries of each state and union territory in India with hyperlinks to state level maps showing administrative boundaries of the districts. The Census Organisation in India is one of the pioneering institutes producing good quality authentic maps. With the creation of three new states in India, viz., Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal, number of request were being received for such maps. The number of districts in the country has also increased form 466 in 1991 Census to 593 in 2001 Census. These maps showing the boundary of districts in pleasant colors will be very useful to all categories of data users.

Data Highlights :

Slum Data : An attempt has been made for the first time during the Census of India, 2001 to collect detailed data about slum areas of the country particularly in cities/towns having 50,000 population or more based on 1991 census. All the inhabitants of the areas, which have been notified as slums by the state governments under any legal provisions or even recognized by them, have been accordingly considered as slum population for this purpose.

Besides areas in cities/towns, which satisfy the usual criteria for declaring an area as slum have also been included. For the purpose of Census of India, 2001, the slum areas broadly constitute of :-

  1. All specified areas notified as 'Slum' by State/Local Government and UT Administration under any Act;
  2. All areas recognized as 'Slum' by State/Local Government and UT Administration which may have not been formally notified as slum under any Act;
  3. A compact area of at least 300 population or about 60-70 households of poorly built congested tenements, in unhygienic environment usually with inadequate infrastructure and lacking in proper sanitary and drinking water facilities.

The Directorate of Census Operations in consultation with the State Government/Local Authorities were asked to identify slum areas in municipal towns having population of 50,000 or more as per 1991 census. Therefore, the estimates of slum population given below primarily are confined to cities and towns having more than 50,000 population at the 1991 Census.

Though the criteria adopted for formation of slum EBs was confined to municipal towns having 50,000 population, however, in a few stray cases even the non municipal towns were found to have large number of slum areas, necessitating formation of slum EBs by the local authorities. For instance in National Capital Region of Delhi, eleven Census towns and in Uttar Pradesh one Census town have reported slum population. In addition to these, six towns, one in Bihar, two in Madhya Pradesh, two in Gujarat and one in Maharashtra, could qualify the population criteria of 50,000 after adding population of outgrowths as returned for Census of India, 1991. In case of Shillong, slum areas were notified in the entire urban agglomeration as such slum population has been reported from the Shillong urban agglomeration. Slum population has been reported from 26 States/Union territories. Nine States/Union territories, namely, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep have not reported any slum population in their Class I & II cities/towns.

Census of India 2001 have released data on the number and population of cities/towns reporting slum, total slum population and slum population in 0-6 age group and literate slum population by sex - India & State/Union territory. Similarly data on population, slum population, and slum population in 0-6 age group and literate slum population by sex in million plus cities.             

Some important features of Slum data released as per the provisional results of Census of India 2001 include:

  1. As per criteria adopted by Census of India 2001, only those cities/towns which returned at least 50,000 population in 1991 Census were considered for identifying Slum Population. Other criteria included as already mentioned above. Only 607 such towns have reported slums.
  2. Total Slum Population returned as per provisional results of Census of India 2001 was 40,605,418, comprising of 22.76% of the total urban population of the cities/towns reporting slums.
  3. Largest Slum population was registered in Maharashtra (10.64 million).
  4. The largest proportion of slum population in Million plus cities was registered in Greater Mumbai (48.88%) and the lowest in Patna (0.25%).
  5. About 1% of India's population live in the slums of Maharashtra.
  6. Around 6% of Maharashtra's population live in slums of Greater Mumbai.
  7. Proportion of Slum Population to total population in Cities/Towns varied form 41.33% to 1.81%, the largest being Meghalaya (41.33%) and the lowest Kerala (1.81%).
  8. Sex ratio, (i.e., number of females per thousand males) of the Slum Population varied from 1032 (Pondicherry) to 707 (Chandigarh). Kerala also returned high sex ratio (1029).
  9. Proportion of Children (0-6) among slum population in Million Plus Cities was found to be highest in Jaipur (18.11%) and lowest in Kolkata (9.35%).
  10. Literacy Rate among Slum population was found to be quite high, varying form 88.08% (Meghalaya) to 55.46% (Chandigarh). The Male Literacy Rate varied from 91.05% (Meghalaya) to 65.59% (Chandigarh). Female Literacy Rate was also found to be high varying from 85.11% (Meghalaya) and Chandigarh (40.09%).
Data Released :

The list of States/Union territories for which the printed publications on Paper 1 of 2001 : Provisional Population Totals have been brought out were indicated in the eCENSUSIndia Issue No. 2 of 2001. See List

Provisional Results on Rural Urban Distribution of Population for each States/Union territories have been released at district and tahsil/taluka level. Whereas the District level data are available on the Internet at the Census of India website, the Tahsil/taluka level data are available only in printed publications.