Data, Development and Democracy: The Political Economy of the Indian Census

India’s ability to conduct large-scale modern scientific exercises such as decennial population censuses with clockwork precision and unparalleled regularity is widely regarded as a source of collective national pride. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the regular schedule of the census, and it is not clear when the indefinitely postponed 2021 Census will be held. The present study uses this pause to explore the evolution of the Census of India and examine the quality of its data over the past few decades followed by a discussion of potential reforms including rationalisation of schedules to adapt the exercise to meet emerging challenges.