Syllabus: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Context
- The 2027 Census will be the world’s largest administrative exercise, supporting planning, fiscal transfers and scheme design.
- It will use mobile apps, geo-tagged buildings, and real-time monitoring for higher accuracy.
Recognising Transitional Urban Areas
- Census 2027 intends to retain the Census 2011 definition of ‘urban’, based on population size, density and economic activity.
- India’s binary classification (urban vs rural) misses peri-urban and transitional zones.
- World Bank studies show 55.3% lived in urban-like areas in 2010, whereas Census 2011 recorded only 31%, revealing hidden urbanisation.
Global Approaches
- The UN Statistical Commission’s ‘Degree of Urbanisation’ distinguishes urban, peri-urban and rural areas more accurately.
- The Census could adopt similar methods to recognise transitional areas requiring planned services and growth management.
Large Agglomerations and True Extent
- Delhi’s functional footprint includes Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, forming an interconnected labour and economic region.
- Census data divided by administrative boundaries obscures the true urban scale of such agglomerations.
Need for a Spatial, Geo-Statistical Approach
- Census 2027 can build an open-access geo-statistical portal, ensuring anonymity and interoperability.
- Visual dashboards can show peri-urban expansion, service gaps and high-density clusters.
- Municipal bodies can update data in real time, enabling competition and better service delivery.
Static Spatial Grids
- Using 1×1 km grids can stabilise temporal comparisons despite shifting administrative boundaries.
- Blended indicators (age, housing, services) overlaid with climate hazard data help identify climate-vulnerable regions.
Global Examples
- Mexico’s INEGI and Britain’s Ordnance Survey successfully use spatialised census formats.
- India can integrate this approach with Gati Shakti and Digital PIN systems under the National Geospatial Policy 2022.
Conclusion
- A spatial, modular Census framework can support targeted interventions and strengthen India’s transition toward inclusive and resilient urbanisation.