FOR OmCIAL USE ONLY CENSUS OF INDIA 1981 SERIES-I 3 MANIPUR PART-JA ADMINISTRATION REPORT - ENUMERATION R. K. BIRENDRA SINGH, of The Indian Administrative Service Director,.p/ Census Operations, Manipur Contents Chapter Pag, I Introduction 1 II Preparatory steps 3 III Preparation for the Census IV Building up of the Organisation .. IS V Touring and Training Programmes 17 VI Census Schedules-Translation, Printing and Distribution 19 VII Procurement of Maps 23 VIII Preparation of Rural and Urban Frame 24 IX Enumeration Agency 30 X Houselisting Operations 33 XI Enumeration 37 XII Directives issued by the Government 42 XIII General 45 XIV Conclusion and Acknowledgements 55 Appendices I Classification of Rural and Urban Units-1981 Census 57 II Organisation of Census of India 1981-General Instructions 62 III 1981 Census of India Introduction-Phases-Organisation and Preliminary steps 66 IV Some of the forms and schedules adopted in the Second Pretest 72 V Inaugural speech of Shri Danik Lal MandaI, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs, delivered on August 24, 1979 79 VI State level officers recommended for Award of Census Medals &: Certificates .. 81 VII Enterprise List .. 87 VIII Some Important Govt. of India letters 89 CHAPTER-I INTRODUCTION 1.1 I was appointed Director of Census Operations, 1.2. At the time I joined as the Director of Census Manipur, on the afternoon of June 30, 1979, as the Operations, the Census Office was accommodated in a i st of July of that year was a Sunday. As I had also fairly sizeable rented building at Yumnam Leikai, conducted the Censtls of Manipur in 1961, as the Imphal on the Jndo-BlIcna Road. This pucca building Superintendent of Census Operations, I came back to belonging to Shri Y. Pheijao Singh, has two storeys myoid job with a mixture of nostalgia and a sense of and 16 rooms. This is a change quite for the better having to face another challenge in changed circum­ from the position in 1959 when I had to start an office stances. As there was no Administration Report from scratch and run literally from place to place in in respect of the preceding Census of 1971, I had to search of a suitable accommodation for the office. consult my own Administration Report of 1961 in The position in 1969 must not have been entirely un­ order to pick up the thread. Little dio I realise, that satisfactory, as there was a fairly co;11modious rented I would be addressing myself, among others, when 1 office bu.ilding by that time. The office at Yumnam had written the following words in the introductory Leikai is at a distance of about one kilometre from part of my Adminislration Report, in the post­ the Manipur Secretariat at Imphal. As the place at enumeration period of 1961 : which the office is located is not within the crowded part of the city, the atmosphere is peaceful. The "This Ad:ninistration Report is intended mainly following staff was in position when I took over, as for my successor in 1971. In the past Censuses the Director of Census Operations: Manipur was not treated as a separate Census l:nit. It was treated only as a Census district of the neigh­ (1) A.D.C.O. bouring major State ofAssam. No separate Administra­ tion Report for Manipur has, therefore, been written (2) Head Assistant .. to serve as a guide for us. It is for the first time that (3) ACCOl'.ntant the Census Commission decided to treat Manipur as a separate and independent Census unit, perhaps in view (4) Investigator 1 of the important role that a modern Census plays in (5) Tabulation Officer 3 the context of a welfare State and of socio-economic planning. In accepting and undertaking the respon­ (6) Statistical Assistant 4 sibility of taking the Census of Manipur separately for (7) Computor 7 the first time in the history of her Census, I could not, in spite of myself, avoid the anxiety of a beginner and (8) Assistant Compiler 6 the zeal of a new convert. Though it is for others to (9) U.D.C. judge how far we have been successful, I and my col­ leagues look back to the tense period of preparation (10) L.D.C. 6 and of actual enumeration with the pleasureable feeling that we have made a modest beginning to be (11) Cartographer followed by a long chain of similar operations in (12) Draughts;nan 3 the future. And in spite of doubts and difficulties that usually confront first lone sailors, the thought that (13) Peon 6 a large number of our colleagues in other States/ (14) Chowkidar Union Territories are engaged in similar labours and solution of similar problems gave us the joy of joint (15) Sweeper adventure and of participation in a large-scale co­ (16) Hand Press Machine Operator operative effort. It is hoped that this Report which is the first of its kind in Manipur will prove useful to (17) Daftry 2 the future Superintendents of Census Operations (18) Proof Reader of Manipur who will be confronted with similar problems at different times and in changed contexts". (19) Driver 2 1.3 There was some backlog of the 1971 Census been brought out. There were also two drafts pre­ and I had to tackle some of the problems soon after pared by Shri S. Nilamani Singh. Investigator, on I joined. The owner of the office building had been the r.:-study of Sekmai, one of the most important demanding increase in the monthly rent of his build­ Scheduled Caste villages in the State, and the SL1Tvey ing and insisted that we should vacate the building of Imphal the capital city, to be re-touched and finally unle',~, his demand was fulfilled. As his demand was edited. I am afraid, I have not yet been able t(t reasonable, in view of ,he high price rise, I had to find sufficient time to give final touches to these tW() recom:nend his case to the Registrar General. projects. The Indian Census is beco:,ning more and Althorgh some increase in the monthly rent has been more elaborate and complicated as the demands sancti.med for additional amenities provided by the made on it by the Govt., and the public are heavier owner, he is still insisting that the original rent should as the years pass by. It needs, therefore. detailed be re-.lssessed. In view of inflation and risip_g price and careful preparations ewn before the House­ of things. I am of the considered view that his listing stage. I venture to seggest, therefore, that demand is quite reasonable. I had to give finishing the Director of Census Operations, should be ill touches to th'~ Atlas Volume of the 1971 Census and position at least two years before the date of edit the explanatory note,. This publication has now Houselisting. CHAPTER-II PREPARATORY STEPS 2.1 In taking the preparatory steps we were greatly general public, the district and local authorities helped and guided by the CircuJars issl'.ed from the were infor:·,'.ed of the program11c and requested to office of the Registrar Gelleral. India. In Circular give co-,)peration to our staff cartying out the No. I, the Registrar General issl'ed detailed instruc­ pre-test. tions on classification of Rural and Ulban Units. And in Circular No.2. detailed general instmctions 2.3 The questi('f1 whether the pecL'.liarly Manipuri on the organisation of the Census of India 1981, structlire known as Sangoi which is found in front (If almost every Meithei main house should be treated were issued. These two Circulars which give one as a Census house or merely as a part of a Cen­ the first important guidelines are reprodu.ced as sus house was clarified during this pre-test. It Appendices I & II at the end of this Report. Based appears that so;ne doubt arose as to the classification on the guidelines and instructions issued by the office of the Sangoi which has normally.. three walls only of the Registrar General, this office issued in and keeps one side facing the main hot'se, open. November 1979, an introductory Circular dealing with This structural pattern of the Sangoi does not, on preliminary steps, organisation and phases of tht the face of it, conform to the normal concept of a Census operations, 1981. This Circular which con­ Census house with four walls. Aftrr some delibera­ tains sO:lle points of local significance is also repro­ tion, it was rightly decided that the Sangoi, a duced as App,~ndix III. A careful perusal of these modest respectable structure which serves various detailed Circulars will probably be of substantial purposes in the life of the Meitheis. should be help to one called upon to organise and conduct the trea1ed as a Census hor,se. Census of Manipur in future. A large nu"nber of other Circulars dealing with various phases and 2.4 The second pre-test was held in the first fort­ aspects of t.he Censu.s of 1981 have also been issued night of June, 1979, in five rural and five urban both from the office of the Registrar General, India blocks spread over the districts of Manipur. The and from this Directorate, and it is s:tggested that, selected rural blocks were Saikul in the Manipur for a proper understanding of the magnit!lde of the North district, Tamah in the Manipur West district, problems one has to face in conducting an im­ Torbung or S.