Decadal Census of India, New TB Treatment Regime, Cotton and Pink Ball Worm

(General Studies-I – Geography Section – Role of Women and Women’s Organization, Population and Associated Issues, Poverty and Developmental issues, Urbanization, their problems and their remedies.)

• The Census is a comprehensive survey conducted periodically to gather demographic, economic, and social data about a country’s population.
• It provides a snapshot of the population at a given time, including information on age, gender, occupation, education, and living conditions.
• The data collected is crucial for policymaking, resource allocation, and understanding societal trends.

Objectives of the Census –

1. To count the total population and provide a breakdown by various characteristics
2. To gather information on the socio-economic and demographic profile of the population
3. To provide a framework for sample surveys and other statistical operations
4. To enable effective planning and implementation of development programs

India is currently facing a critical need for an updated Census due to several factors –

• Demographic Transition: India is undergoing a rapid demographic transition, with changes in population size, age structure, and spatial distribution. An updated Census is necessary to understand these changes and their implications for development planning.
• Effective Governance: Census data is essential for effective governance, as it helps in the allocation of resources, implementation of welfare schemes, and monitoring of progress. Without an updated Census, these processes may be based on outdated or inaccurate information.
• Informing Policies: The Census provides crucial data for policymaking in various sectors, such as health, education, and employment. It helps in identifying gaps and designing targeted interventions to address them.
• Monitoring SDGs: India is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. An updated Census is necessary to monitor progress towards these goals and ensure that no one is left behind.
• Caste Census: There is a growing demand for a caste-based Census to understand the socio-economic status of various communities and ensure equitable representation in government schemes and programs.
• Implementation of Welfare Schemes: Census data is essential for the implementation of welfare schemes, such as the National Food Security Act, Women’s reservation act and the National Social Assistance Programme. Postponing the Census deprives many people of essential entitlements.
• Delimitation of Constituencies: Census data is used for the demarcation of constituencies and allocation of representation to the Parliament, State Legislative Assemblies, and local bodies.
• Allocation of Grants: The Finance Commission gives grants to the states on the basis of population figures available from the Census data.

Way Forward –

• Budgetary Provisions: The 2025-26 Census Budget must be robust enough to accommodate the postponed 2021 Census. We need to allocate resources for house listing, housing census, and updating the National Population Register (NPR).
• Preliminary Preparations: Thankfully, groundwork has been underway. State and Union Territory Census Directorates have been prepping—updating maps, testing questionnaires, and training staff. Once the new Census date is fixed, they’re ready to roll. A quick refresher training is all they need.
• Digital Census: The future is digital. Collecting Census data via mobile apps streamlines the process. The ₹1,309.46 crore in the 2024-25 budget could fund essential preliminary activities, including finalising enumeration areas, refining questionnaires, and training core staff for the digital shift.

The Census isn’t just about numbers or just a bureaucratic exercise; it’s about empowerment, equity, informed policymaking, and the pulse of our nation.Let’s prioritise it, come what may. Our nation’s well-being depends on it.

• The government informed Parliament that Adivasis are included as persons professing the Hindu religion under the Protection of Civil Rights Act of 1955.
• The Law Minister explained that various Acts, Protection of Civil Rights, define ‘Hindu’.
• According to the explanation in Section 3 of the Act
• Individuals who profess the Buddhist, Sikh, or Jaina religions
• Individuals of various forms including Virashaivas, Lingayats and Adivasis.
• Followers of Brahmo, Prarthana, Arya Samaj, and the Swaminarayan Sampraday—are considered Hindus.

Dig Deeper: Read about Constitutional Provisions for Schedules Tribes in general.

• India is preparing to roll out the BPaL regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) for all multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) patients, with training set to begin this month.
• This significant move aims to improve treatment outcomes in the country’s fight against M/XDR-TB, as the regimen has shown promising results in countries like Pakistan, South Africa, and Ukraine.
• The principal adviser of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, announced the rollout, emphasizing that scaling up NAAT.
• This new treatment, which includes the anti-TB drug pretomanid, significantly reduces the treatment duration from 18-24 months to around six months and simplifies the regimen from 14 drugs daily to just three tablets.
• A recent paper highlighted the World Health Organization’s 2022 recommendation of the six-month BPaL and BPaLM (Moxifloxacin) regimens for drug-resistant TB, demonstrating that these regimens are more effective, shorter, less burdensome for patients, and more cost-effective for health systems.

(Articles on Tuberculosis extensively covered in May and June Magazines)

Dig Deeper: Read about the National TB Elimination Program.

• India’s cotton cultivation is expected to decline by 10-12% this season.
• The crop yields in India average 480 kg per hectare, significantly lower than the global average of 800 kg per hectare.
• The northern region, including Punjab and Rajasthan, saw a 35% reduction in crop size due to pink bollworm infestation.
• The pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) is the most important cotton pest in the world.
• After hatching, larvae enter squares, flowers, or bolls, feeding on seeds and fiber, causing lint retardation and moving through bolls by making holes.
• Additionally, the government has increased the Minimum Support Price for raw cotton by ₹500 per quintal for the 2024-2025 season.

Dig Deeper: Read about potential plant disease pandemics.