The Census/NPR: What actually happened
by Vickram Crishna - an IIT Delhi Alumnus
These are reports from individuals across the country to whose homes the census-takers have actually visited already. For clarification, all the stories come from people aged roughly around 60 years, each of whom are post-graduates (in management studies), and most of whom are also engineers, who are discussing in a private list about what happened, mostly on the 17th and 18th of February 2011. I have deliberately omitted the names, although the NPR shall not be so thoughtful. All of them live in some of India's major cities. As is clear, the responses 1., 3., and 8. are from the same person, while 2. and 4. are from one other person.
And forget saving the cost of duplicate exercises: judging from what some census takers told our list members, there is yet another expensive round of enumeration ahead.
The last response in this list is from a person who spent an entire career in survey management, a founding manager of one of the country's hugely successful and largest home-grown market research agencies (now managed by a foreign company). The second last is from someone - an engineer/manager from India's top specialised institutes, now heading another major institute - who has been enumerated directly for the first time ever! Imagine what the situation is in rural areas, where houses and people are not so comfortably close together. But that is the India that Mr Nilekani appears unable to imagine.
Incidentally, in my case, I was away when the census people came (this is the second survey: in the first, the census taker told my wife that she and other school-teachers were burdened with the huge questionnaires, and that their training was totally sketchy), but my daughter, who happened to be at home, was queried instead. This may, of course, be at slight variance to the plan <http://www.censusindia.gov.in>
I have only corrected spelling typos and not changed any style or syntax. If our level of education and involvement (every single one of these respondents has spent a career lifetime in India) does not automatically bring about awareness of the background to this exercise, it is fairly obvious, at least to me, how befuddled the majority of Indians must be, illiterate and denied access to open communications (quite aside from food, shelter and clothing, apart from the bank accounts and mobile phones that Mr Nilekani apparently thinks are the most noteworthy features of a country's standard of living).
1. The census man came yesterday. The same Govt school teacher (drafted into the task) who came the last time a few months ago.
Why is it being done twice? As he said, one has to follow whatever orders are received. Apart from the name, address, caste etc (I suppose to establish we are the same people), some new questions were asked this time. Maybe that was the reason for the second visit.
The Q about languages was asked (new Q this time) and we gave the answers, including Sanskrit. Since the Q about caste preceded it, and the answer was Brahmin, the chap was not surprised. He just said the Marathi equi of 'Oh' and carried on.
Another new Q was my age (and wife's) at the time of our marriage.
I asked if the info regarding vehicles owned and whether we had covered bathrooms was no longer required. He replied that it had been noted the last time. This visit was for additional info. He also added this time the caste was recorded as 'general', but that around June a decision was expected that the castes should be noted is specific terms, and hence he willl have to come yet again.
Our son is in Hyd, working there. He advised that it was better to cover him here with us, which we did. You too may decide the same.
I asked about the next stage. An announcement would appear in papers etc that the machinery would be ready for our mug shots. We would then need to go to the specified places within the specified period for it. Then we would get our UID. As in Nandan Nilekani project? He said yes, adding that general public was impressed with NN.
One good thing is that voter id and UID will not be different.
2. The census person came to my place first time yesterday. Forget Sanskrit, he just wanted to know my mother tongue and whether I knew English. Where was I born, do you still go to the native place, how do you commute to work, what my qualifications (when I said MBA, he did not seem to know what that was). No questions on Sanskrit.
So all the scepticism of Census usefulness and effectiveness is still valid.
3. You mean there was no visit some months back?
I was asked those questions in the first visit. Commuting, number of vehicles, native place etc. Did he not ask about covered bathroom?
There does not seem to be uniformity across the country.
BTW the census man will not ask if you know any particular language. He will ask which languages you know.
4. No, he did not ask any questions on which languages I knew - not even about Hindi. He just asked what is your mother tongue and whether I knew English.
That was it.
5. I should know. My wife (a school teacher) had been drafted in the first round during May-June last year. She had to cover 500 households in the bustees of Howrah. She was initially given a 2-day training.
She had a huge A3 size coloured form with lots of boxes and what not. Since it was difficult to carry a number of forms (which had to be submitted in absolute pristine condition each time she went out, she photocopied the form and pencilled in the details. Then she transferred them in fair to the actual form every evening. Lousy pay for the work involved.
I remember that the Qs included what kind of bathroom, floors of tiles, marble, etc. and a lot of other things. She used to say that a lot of people would initially refuse to answer but she told (actually hinted with a threat) them about UID and the need to prove citizenship (this links the current 2 topics). There was also a receipt to be given by the interviewer to the household.
The guy who came to enumerate us was a Municipal Corporation official and he had the same form and asked all the questions and gave me a receipt.
The second round has not started here but she has already been warned to be ready. What the hell -- they could have done it in winter instead of during the sweaty heat of summer.
6. If they (the enumorator) does not come to your house or you miss them out for what ever reason, what happens? Any option like we go to some office & participate or postal ballot or something. Else miss out on this exercise.
7. They do make another visit. You can leave your contact details with neighbours.
Or you can tell neighbours that they should contact you when the man visits them. If you are out, you can return.
8. Yes we were given a receipt the first time.
It is to be shown when we go for the mug shots.
The first time the school teacher had brought his wife along, to help him. They too followed the 'pencil and fairing in the evening' method.
9. What I wanted to say was, different types of people appear to have been drafted for the exercise. My visitor is a school teacher, and knew about various degrees and courses.
10. Even my enumarator had no clue about MBA and was quite lost. Similarly he was quite surprised to find a. M Sc in Finance.
11. Felicitations are due to me.
I have finally been enumerated directly, for the first time, by the Census. Indirect enumeration as in one of the 250 students in [college hostel block], or double counted in the same year by sister and in-laws separately, do not count towards the LEA (Lifetime Existence Award).
Questions asked:
by Vickram Crishna - an IIT Delhi Alumnus
These are reports from individuals across the country to whose homes the census-takers have actually visited already. For clarification, all the stories come from people aged roughly around 60 years, each of whom are post-graduates (in management studies), and most of whom are also engineers, who are discussing in a private list about what happened, mostly on the 17th and 18th of February 2011. I have deliberately omitted the names, although the NPR shall not be so thoughtful. All of them live in some of India's major cities. As is clear, the responses 1., 3., and 8. are from the same person, while 2. and 4. are from one other person.
And forget saving the cost of duplicate exercises: judging from what some census takers told our list members, there is yet another expensive round of enumeration ahead.
The last response in this list is from a person who spent an entire career in survey management, a founding manager of one of the country's hugely successful and largest home-grown market research agencies (now managed by a foreign company). The second last is from someone - an engineer/manager from India's top specialised institutes, now heading another major institute - who has been enumerated directly for the first time ever! Imagine what the situation is in rural areas, where houses and people are not so comfortably close together. But that is the India that Mr Nilekani appears unable to imagine.
Incidentally, in my case, I was away when the census people came (this is the second survey: in the first, the census taker told my wife that she and other school-teachers were burdened with the huge questionnaires, and that their training was totally sketchy), but my daughter, who happened to be at home, was queried instead. This may, of course, be at slight variance to the plan <http://www.censusindia.gov.in>
I have only corrected spelling typos and not changed any style or syntax. If our level of education and involvement (every single one of these respondents has spent a career lifetime in India) does not automatically bring about awareness of the background to this exercise, it is fairly obvious, at least to me, how befuddled the majority of Indians must be, illiterate and denied access to open communications (quite aside from food, shelter and clothing, apart from the bank accounts and mobile phones that Mr Nilekani apparently thinks are the most noteworthy features of a country's standard of living).
1. The census man came yesterday. The same Govt school teacher (drafted into the task) who came the last time a few months ago.
Why is it being done twice? As he said, one has to follow whatever orders are received. Apart from the name, address, caste etc (I suppose to establish we are the same people), some new questions were asked this time. Maybe that was the reason for the second visit.
The Q about languages was asked (new Q this time) and we gave the answers, including Sanskrit. Since the Q about caste preceded it, and the answer was Brahmin, the chap was not surprised. He just said the Marathi equi of 'Oh' and carried on.
Another new Q was my age (and wife's) at the time of our marriage.
I asked if the info regarding vehicles owned and whether we had covered bathrooms was no longer required. He replied that it had been noted the last time. This visit was for additional info. He also added this time the caste was recorded as 'general', but that around June a decision was expected that the castes should be noted is specific terms, and hence he willl have to come yet again.
Our son is in Hyd, working there. He advised that it was better to cover him here with us, which we did. You too may decide the same.
I asked about the next stage. An announcement would appear in papers etc that the machinery would be ready for our mug shots. We would then need to go to the specified places within the specified period for it. Then we would get our UID. As in Nandan Nilekani project? He said yes, adding that general public was impressed with NN.
One good thing is that voter id and UID will not be different.
2. The census person came to my place first time yesterday. Forget Sanskrit, he just wanted to know my mother tongue and whether I knew English. Where was I born, do you still go to the native place, how do you commute to work, what my qualifications (when I said MBA, he did not seem to know what that was). No questions on Sanskrit.
So all the scepticism of Census usefulness and effectiveness is still valid.
3. You mean there was no visit some months back?
I was asked those questions in the first visit. Commuting, number of vehicles, native place etc. Did he not ask about covered bathroom?
There does not seem to be uniformity across the country.
BTW the census man will not ask if you know any particular language. He will ask which languages you know.
4. No, he did not ask any questions on which languages I knew - not even about Hindi. He just asked what is your mother tongue and whether I knew English.
That was it.
5. I should know. My wife (a school teacher) had been drafted in the first round during May-June last year. She had to cover 500 households in the bustees of Howrah. She was initially given a 2-day training.
She had a huge A3 size coloured form with lots of boxes and what not. Since it was difficult to carry a number of forms (which had to be submitted in absolute pristine condition each time she went out, she photocopied the form and pencilled in the details. Then she transferred them in fair to the actual form every evening. Lousy pay for the work involved.
I remember that the Qs included what kind of bathroom, floors of tiles, marble, etc. and a lot of other things. She used to say that a lot of people would initially refuse to answer but she told (actually hinted with a threat) them about UID and the need to prove citizenship (this links the current 2 topics). There was also a receipt to be given by the interviewer to the household.
The guy who came to enumerate us was a Municipal Corporation official and he had the same form and asked all the questions and gave me a receipt.
The second round has not started here but she has already been warned to be ready. What the hell -- they could have done it in winter instead of during the sweaty heat of summer.
6. If they (the enumorator) does not come to your house or you miss them out for what ever reason, what happens? Any option like we go to some office & participate or postal ballot or something. Else miss out on this exercise.
7. They do make another visit. You can leave your contact details with neighbours.
Or you can tell neighbours that they should contact you when the man visits them. If you are out, you can return.
8. Yes we were given a receipt the first time.
It is to be shown when we go for the mug shots.
The first time the school teacher had brought his wife along, to help him. They too followed the 'pencil and fairing in the evening' method.
9. What I wanted to say was, different types of people appear to have been drafted for the exercise. My visitor is a school teacher, and knew about various degrees and courses.
10. Even my enumarator had no clue about MBA and was quite lost. Similarly he was quite surprised to find a. M Sc in Finance.
11. Felicitations are due to me.
I have finally been enumerated directly, for the first time, by the Census. Indirect enumeration as in one of the 250 students in [college hostel block], or double counted in the same year by sister and in-laws separately, do not count towards the LEA (Lifetime Existence Award).
Questions asked:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Mother tongue
- Other languages known (2 max)
- Qualifications
- Profession
- Age of marriage
- Number of children.
- How I travel to work.
No receipt was given, but a sticker was placed on the front door. Enumerator was a volunteer who had been drafted by a friend to help meet the March 31 deadline.
12. 1) The lady did not have formal questionnaire .. .said nothing was given to them . She asked the questions in her own words and in many cases the question was ambiguous . Therefore different census takers will be asking differently, the answers will not be comparable .
2) She did not ask many of the questions and when I prodded her, she said that people minded answering them, so usually they just write <.......> !!
Obviously there is little integrity in the data collection .... such a huge waste of an opportunity of a decade.
--
Vickram
Fool On The Hill
