Census 2026: Counting citizens or collecting their entire digital identity?

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* 

The new census format is out, and rather than accepting the demand for a caste census, the government has introduced a 40-question format for the upcoming census exercise. One wonders how long this exercise will take and whether the officials engaged in it will actually be able to complete it on time.

A census is meant to collect basic information about the population—caste, religion, place of birth, age and other essential details. But the government has added several questions that appear to go well beyond what is ordinarily required for a census. The new format seeks details such as Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, voter IDs and even passports. Is the government planning to link all these databases? Most of them are already linked in one way or another. Citizens have been placed in circumstances where they have little choice but to provide such information. Apparently, that is still not enough. The government also wants to know about people’s bank accounts for census purposes.

Why not add Jan Dhan accounts as well and ask citizens whether they are able to maintain the minimum balance? Banks have already earned huge amounts through penalties and charges imposed on account holders for failing to maintain prescribed balances.

We are well aware of the electronic frauds taking place these days. After converting almost everything into the digital world, the safety and security of our personal data should be a matter of serious concern for every Indian. Every few minutes, people receive calls supposedly from banks, insurance companies or other institutions, and the callers often appear to know intimate details about them. People are being exploited and defrauded by these digital gangs, while banks and companies frequently do little beyond advising victims to file complaints with the cybercrime authorities. In many cases, banks and insurance companies seem to have no effective mechanism to protect citizens from cybercrime. Instead, the victim is often blamed for failing to “comply” with security guidelines.

I raise this issue because this 40-page census document looks shocking, to say the least. It appears as though the government has found yet another way to keep the blood pressure of ordinary citizens high, until one day they simply accept the reality that there is little they can do except follow government diktats. In such a situation, the so-called “andolanjivis” and “dimagi naxals” would perhaps be finished without much effort.

Every now and then, citizens are asked to prove their “presence” and “nationality”. Once upon a time, we were told that Aadhaar was the ultimate solution to our problems. It was presented as a unique identity containing all our essential information. The fact is that Aadhaar already contains a vast amount of personal data, and yet the government continues to demand more and more information. PAN was subsequently linked with Aadhaar. Voter ID has also been linked in various ways, and passport information is part of the broader identity ecosystem.

The fact remains that enormous amounts of information about citizens already exist with the government and its various departments. A digital census should therefore make the process easier, faster and more efficient. It should not become an intimidating exercise for ordinary people.

The job of any government is to make life easier for citizens, not to create unnecessary complications. Census is an important national exercise, but unnecessary documents and personal details should be avoided. The process should be simple, convenient and should not consume excessive time.

We should also consider the burden being placed on the officials conducting this exercise. We have seen Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other government employees working under enormous pressure. Many of them have struggled to cope with the demands placed upon them. Reports of officials suffering severe mental stress, and even cases of suicide, should make us pause and ask whether we are asking too much from our lower-level government machinery.

With several states going to the polls in the coming months, the government does not have a dedicated permanent cadre for carrying out every such exercise. The burden frequently falls on primary school teachers and other lower-level government employees. Teachers are therefore often unavailable to teach their students because they are occupied with electoral and administrative duties, including counting and verification exercises.

In this digital age, we need to make life easier for people, not more complicated. The census process must not appear threatening or intimidating. It should be cordial, transparent and citizen-friendly.

There is another serious concern. Census enumerators will first collect information from citizens and then enter it into the system. Aadhaar numbers, mobile details, dates of birth and other personal information could therefore become vulnerable to misuse if adequate safeguards are not in place. Data leaks have become a major reality of our times, just as paper leaks have repeatedly exposed weaknesses in our administrative systems.

The government must therefore guarantee foolproof mechanisms to protect citizens’ data. People should be able to provide information confidently, knowing that their personal details will not be leaked, misused or shared improperly.

The census is an extremely important exercise and citizens must cooperate with it. But cooperation cannot be demanded at the cost of privacy, dignity and peace of mind. The government should review the questionnaire and ensure that it remains focused on information genuinely required for census purposes. Political parties and civil society must also raise these concerns and press for a questionnaire that is neither unnecessarily lengthy nor intrusive.

A census should count the people, not intimidate them. In a democracy, the government must remember that citizens are not merely data points. They are the people whom the state is supposed to serve.

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*Human rights defender