CENSUS OF INDIA 199'

SERIES - 26 WEST BENGAL

PART I-A

ADMINISTRATION REPORT -ENUMERATION

Sri Hironmoy Chakravarty Director of Census Operations West Bengal CONTENTS

PAGES A:hapter I Introduction 1-7 'Chapter II Preparatory Steps &~13 , Chapter III Preparations for the Census 14-17 ,'~Chatper IV : ' Building up of the Organisation 18-27 Ch4fter V : Touring and Training Programmes 28-30 Chapter VI : Census Schedules and Instructions-Translation, Printing and Distribution 31-33 Chapter VII : Procurement of Maps 34-36 i Chapter VIn : Preparation-of Rural and Urban Frame 37-42 Chapter IX : Enumeration Agency 43,-50 :, C~pter X Building up the Census Organisation in Calcutta City and Haora City 51-57 Chapter XI Houselisting Operations 58-62 !, ;,Chapter XII Enumerati()n 63-67 Chapter XIII D~rectives i~sued by the State Government 68-69 Chapter XIV General 70-76 " 'Cha;pter XV Post Ellumeration Check 77-78 Chap~er XVI ConcluSion and acknowledgements 79~82

'ApPENDICES ;. Appendix 1 Notification by the Office of the Registrar General, India, regarding appointment of Director of Census Operations, West Bengal 85 App~ndix 2 Notification by Home (PAR) Department, Government of West Bengal regarding Placement of the services of Shri H. Chakravarty . 86 Appendix 3 Telegram from Registrar General, India to Chief Secretary, requesting release of Sri H. Chakravarty and attendance at First Conference of Directors . 87 Letter from Deputy Secretary, Home (PAR) Department, Government of West Bengal regarding attendance at First Conference of Directors, pending formal appointment 88 Appendix 5 Letter from Chief Secretary, introducing Director of Census Operations, West Bengal 89 Appendix 6· The Pretest Schedules 90-96 96-M/P(]l)364RGI-l Appendix 7 : Notification No. 1784-PAR(WBCS)/3D-52J89 dated 20-7-80 of the Home (PAR) Department, Government of West Bengal, placing the services of W.B.C.S. (Ex) Officers at the disposal of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for appointment as Deputy Director of Census Operations, West Bengal 9:]-98 Ap'pendix 8 : Order No. 1/lSJ89-Ad. III dated 26-7-91 of the· Office of the Registrar General, India, appointing three W.B.C.S. (Ex) Officers to the post of Deputy Director of Census Operations, West Bengal ' 99 App'cndix 9 The Census Act, 1948 1'00--'103 Appendix 10 Notification No. 299-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing Director, Joint Director, Deputy Director and Assistant Director of Census Operations as Census Officers H)4 APpendix 11 : Notification No. 300-A.R. dated 30;.1-90 of the Home (C&E) D.epo.l(tm~ut, Gove1'1lment of West Bengal, appointing District Magistrates as Census Officers. 105

Aptfendix 12 Notification No. 301-A.R. dated 30~1-90ofthe Home (C&E) Department, Government, of West Bengal, appointing Sub-divisional Officers as Census Officers 1{)6 ApP7ndix 13 : Notification No. 302-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing' Block Development Officers as Census Officers 107 Awendix 14 Notification No. 303-A.R. dated 30;.1-90 ofthe,H<>me (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing the Chairmen/Executive Officers of Municipal Towns, etc. as Census Officers 108 Appendix 15 Notification No. 304-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Depa,r,tntent, Government of West Bengal, defining the designation as Census Officers in respect of District Magis­ strates, etc. 109 Appendix 16" Notification No. 305-A.~. dated 30 .. 1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing Divisional Forest Officers as Census Officers 110 , Appendix IT Notification No. 306-A.R. dated 30-1 ..90 of the Home:(C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing Dis,tr~t Statistical Officers to take. Census and to designate , them as Additional District Census Officers 111 Appendix 18 . : N(,)tification. No. 307-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West· Bengal, appointing the Director and the Additional Director, Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics, Government of West Bengal as Census Officers . 112 (iii) .

PAGPS Appendix 19 : Memo No. 6!2(3)~DE-6(90 dated 22-1-90 of the Board of Revenue, West Bengal, on the subject of 'Creation -of ,p~~ts in'connection with 1991 Census, Operatio-ns in West) ~ng~:l' 113-114 : Memo No. 253/C-9/M4C-IJ90 dated 24-5-90 of the' Local Government and Urban Development Department, G.o.V~IJ1· ment .of West Bengal on the subject of 'Cl(;rical ,assi~tance to' Urban Local Bodies in connection with the 1991 Gen~us~ . Appendix 21 : Notification No. 1641-A.R. dated 3-3-90 of the Home (C&'E) Department, Government of' West Bengal, appointing 16 Deputy Magistrates as Census Officers 118-119 Appendix 22 : Notification No. 1642-A.R. ,dated. 3-3-90 of the :aome (~p) Department, 9ove{nment. of West Beng~l, i At?si~tAtg 16 Deputy Ma,glstratJ:lSas Plstnct Census. Officers' . , 120~121 , Appendix 23 : Notification No. 6793-A.R. dated 6.;7-90 of the Home (C&B) , I Departmen~ Government of West BengaJ~ su~stitutitig one name in Notification No. 1641-A.R. dated 3~3-90' :- 122 Appendix ?4 : Notification No. 6794-A..R. dated 6-7-90, s:ubstitutiug,9ne name in Notification No. 1642-A.R. dated· 3.,3 .. 90 123 Appendix 25 : Notification No. 85S0-A.R. dated 1.. 9-90 of the Home ~C&E) 'Department, Government ofWest Bell,gal, substituti!lg:,one name in Notification No. 1641-A.R~ dated 3-3-90 :and .appointing him as Census Officer 124 Appendix 26 : Notiflcati~Jl:No.:8551-~;R. dated 1-9,.90 of.the~'Hll~.(q.E) 'llepl;\J'uul'nt, 'Q<}yernroent :ofWe:;;t B~QgaJ",. des~qQ&,U1P Officer nameddn· Notificatiqn No. c8551~~.R; ~¢ ,I0;9-:~D as District Census Officer . , ' 125 Appendix 27 : .N.QtlP~~~;~o .. ~4:45-A;R. ~t«l19.. 1P:90t ~ubstit\Iting o)te ~lij~~~ ,:tIl J·S~tifiqatiru.t ~o. 1641-A.R., dat~d J·J-90 .add ;:a.QP.olOtmg)l1l11 ,as Gm~us Officer' , .. 126 : Notificati~~' No. 9446~A.R.' dated 19-10-90, desi~tmg U}e offi9ef ]lamed in ,Notif1cation 9445~A/R. _9ate9. 19·10~~O ~s J)is~t;ict Census Offiper . . ,,, , , . . . Appendix 29 : ,Letter No. C.11018 (RCB)/91j2743(16) dat~d '18/2J.l~~90 , , of the Dir~ctorate together with Annexures on.thesllbject.,~f Pistribution of Census Forms and Sched~les, ~tc., lor _~.ctual Enumeration-1991 Census in West Bengal reg;' . " t~1.a3 . AEgendix 30 : List of varjolls Forms, Schedules, Instruction Manuals, etc., relating to Houselisting Operations, as estimated to ·be required for training ,as well ,as actual Operations a~d as requisitiohed w~th the o~ GI Appendix 31 : List of various Forms, Schedules, Instruction MaAWlls,,~W., relating to Houselisting Operations, as received fr,om ORGI for training as well as actual Operations 135 Appendix 32 : List of various Forms, Schedules, Instruction Ma,nuals,,"~tc., .Ielating to Enumeration, as estimated to be requirl}(i ,~or drainingas welLas acutal. operations and as requisitioned ;.with the ORGI 136 Iii)\

PAGlW

Appendix 7 : Notification No. 1784-PAR(WBCS)/3D-52/89 dated 20-7-80 of the Home (PAR) Department, Government of West Bengal, placing the services of W.B.C.S. (Ex) Officers at the disposal of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for appointment as Deputy Director of Census Operations, West Bengal 9q~98 Ap~endix 8 : Order No. 1/15/89-Ad. III dated 26-7-91 of the Office of. the Registrar General, India, appointing three W.B.C.S. (Ex) Officers to the post of Deputy Director of Census Operations, West Bengal 99 App"endix 9 : The Census Act, 1948 r€)&';103

Appiendix 10 : Notification No. 299-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, . aplointing Director, Joint Director, Deputy Director and ssistant Director of Census Operations as Census Officers H14

App~ndix 11 : Notification No. 300~A.R. dated 30 .. 1-90 or the Home (C&E) Oepal1un~llt, Government of West Bengal, appointing District Magistrates as Census Officers. 105

Apfiendix 12 : Notification No. 301~A.R. dated 30-1 .. 90· of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Benga1, appointing Sub-divisional Officers as Census Officers \ l{)6

, / Ap~ndix 13 : Notification No. 302-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing, Block Development Officers as Census Officers 107 Awendix 14 : Notification No. 303-A.R. dated 30-1-90 of the -Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, .appointing the Chairmen/Executive Officers of Municipal Towns, etc. as Census Officers 108 Appendix 15 : Notification No. 304-A.R. dated 30-1-:90 of the Home (C&E) Depa;(1:1llent, Government of West Bengal, defining the designation as Census Officers in respect of District Magis- strates, etc. 109

Appendix 16; ~otification No. 305-A.R. dated 30.. 1-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing Divisional Forest Officers as Census Officers 110

. Appendix 17 Nt>tifioation No. 306-A.R. dated 30-1 .. 90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, appointing Disiriet Statistical Officers to take Census and to designate them as Additional District Census Officers 111 Appendix 18 Nc;>tification No. 307-A.R: dated 30-1-90 of the Home (C&E) Oepartment, Government of West· Bengal, appointing the Director and the Additional Director, Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics, Government of West Bengal as Census Officers 112 (iii) ,

PAGES Appendix 19 : Memo No. 612(3)-DE-6/90 dated 22-1-90 of the Board of Revenue, West Bengal, on the subject of 'Creation 'of 'PQ$,ts .in, connection with 199.1 Census. Operations in'Westiaen~l' 113-114 App~n,dix 20 : Memo No. 253/C-9/M4C-1/90 dated 24-5-90 of the Local Government and Urban Development Department, GpY~fn­ ment of West Bengal on the subject of 'Clerical.assi~tance to:Urban Local Bodies in connection with the 1.991 ~en~us; Appendix 21 : Notification No. 1641-A.R. dated 3-3-90 ofllie Home(C&.B) Department, G~vernment of, West Bengal, appoint.i.Qg 16 Deputy Magistrates as Census Officers 118-119 Appendix 22 : Notification No. 1642-A.R. ,dated 3·3-90 of the lIOlne (Qtp) Department, Gove{nmellt of West Ben~l, .d"si~t.Wg 16 Deputy Magistr~tes as Pistrict Census Officers' - , 120~121 Appendix 23 : Notificatioll No. 6793-A.R. dated 6-7-90 of the Home (c&E) "!. ' Departme~t, qove~nment of West Bengal, su~stituti~$ one name m NotIficatIon No. 1641-A.R. dated 3-3-90 122 Appendix ?4 : ,Notification No. 6794-A.R. dated 6-7-90, substjtuting,~ne name in Notitication No. 1642-A.R. dated 3..3-90 123 Appendix 25 : Notification No. 8550-A.R. dated 1-9-90 of the Home EC&E) 'fiepartment, Government of West Bell,gal, substituting ,one name in Notification No. 1641-A.R. dated 3-3-90 and ,appointing him as Census Officer 124 Appendix 26 : NotificatiQll No. 8551-A;R. dated 1-9,.90 of the ~olUe'<~E) 'D.epa.rtment, Government of West Be,qgal".'. desIgI).aqt;li:.t.b.,e Officer named,in Notification No. 85S1 .. A.R. ~eP .t,.9-:QO as District Census Officer . . , 125 Appendix 27 : Notipca.tjon' No. 9445-A,R. d~ted 19 .. 10-90, substit\lting .one lAaII},e ill Notification No. 1641-A,R., date,d 03.;.3-90, and appointi~g. ~im as Cen~us Officer · 126 Appehdix 28 : Notification No. 9446-A.R. dated 19-10-90, designating the (r(ijcer named in ,Notification ,9445·A,.R. _d.ate~d 19-1O-~O ~s . < 10:"':7 . _'District Census Offi~er ' ' ' . . . ;j~~ .

ApRe~dix 29 : .Letter No. C.l1018 (RCB)/91/2743(16) dated '18/21-l~090 "-':' ' of the Directorate together with Annexures on the, sllbject~f Distribution of Census FOrII:ls and, Schedules, .. ~tc., for actual Enumeration~1991 Census in West Bengal reg.' " '.' 1;98-1J,3 . Ap_pendix 30 : List of various Forms, Schedules, Instruction Manuals~ etc., relating to Houselisting Operations, as estimated to' be required for training .as well ,as actual Operations and. as requisitioned with the ORGI . Appendix 31 List of various Forms, Schedules, Instruction Man~ls",,~tp., relating to Houselisting Opera tions, as received ft;om ORGI for training as ,well as actual Operations 135 Appendix 32 : List of various Forms, Schedules, Instruction Manuals,.~tc., relating to Enumeration, as estimated to be requir~, ror training as well _a~ acutal operations and as requisitioned ,.w~th the ORGI 136 (h)

PAGES Appendix. 33 List of various Forms, Schedules, Instruction Manuals, etc., relating to Enumeration, as received from ORGI for actual Operations 137 Appendix 34 : List of Urban Agglomerations of West Bengal, 1991 138 Appendix 35 Circular N(). 5007-A.R. dated 21-5-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, from the Chief Secretary on the subject of utilisation of the services of State Government Employees, school teachers, etc., in the 1991 . Census 139-140 Appendix 36 Letter No. 69S1-A.R. dated 16-7-90 of the Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, from the Chief Secretary to all Departmental Secretaries and others on the subject of ~rocurement of enumeration staff for conductjng the census In Calcutta and Haora and the industrial areas of North Twenty Four Parganas district 141-142 Appendix 37 : Memo. No. WBBPE-98/90-91 dated 24-1-91 of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education together with an en- closure on the subject of deployment of teachers of Primary Schools as Enumerators and Supervisors in connection with Enumeration in the 1991 Census . 143-144 Appendix 38 Letter No. A. 54012JCal/90 dated 15-6-90 from the Directo- rate of Census Operations, West Bertfal on the subject of sponsoring names of Government emp oyees for engagement as enumeration staff in Calcutta and- Haora 145-146 Appendix 39 D.O. No. U042(CEN)/91/855 dated 20-6-90 from Director of Censijs Operations, West Bengal to the Municipal Commis- sioner, Calcutta MC on the subject of sponsoring names of employees of the Corporation for engagement in the Census of Calcutta 147-148 .

I Appendix 40 D.O. No. II046(Hao)/91/804 dated 14-6-90 from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Mayor Haora Me regarding appointment of Charge Superintendent, etc., in Haora City ·149 Appendix 41 D.O. No. Myrf70J90-91 dated 5-7-90 from the Mayor, Haora MC to the Director of Census Operations regarding appointment of Charge Superintendent, etc., in Raora City. 150 Appendix 42 : D.O. No. C.lI042/(Cal)J91/2698 dated 18/22-12-89 from Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Municipal Commissioner, Calcutta MC, enclosing a revised note on the proposal to have the 1991 Census of the city of Calcutta conducted by Calcutta Corporation lSI-ISS Appendix 43 : Letter No. A.12028/Estt./90 dated 3-7-90 from the Director of Census Operations, west Bengal to all Departmental Secretaries of the Government of West Bengal on the subject of utilisation of the services of Government employees in the taking of Census in Calcutta/Haora city 156-157 (v)

PAGS Appendix 44 : D.O., No. C.1l042/(CaI)/91/1110 dated 16·7·90 from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the District Inspector of Schools, Secondary Education, Calcutta City, requesting the issue of instructions to school authorities to sponsor teachers for engagement in census 158-159 Appendix 45 : D.O. No. C.lI042(CaI)/91/2717-2718 dated 26-12-89 from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Director of Census OperatIOns, Maharashtra/Tamil Nadu, seeking information about the nature and degree of the involvement of" the Municipal CQrporation of Bombay/ Madras in the taking of the census of the Metropolitan city of Bombay/Madras 160-161

Appendix 46 : D.O. No~ Vlj6j88-CEN dated 1-1-90 from Director of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu, beipg a' reply to Appendix 45 162-163 Appendix 47 : ,D.O. No. MAH/CEN-1991/Misc(018) dated 31-1-90 fiom Director of Census Operations, Mahatashtra, being a reply to Appendix 45 - 164-165 ~ ! Appendix 48 : D.Oi No. C.11042(CAL)/91/3298 dated 15/16-2-90 from :Djrector 01 Census, Operations, West Bengal to Municipal Commissioner, Calcutta MC/Haora MC, requesting that the COrp.?ration should agree to play a role in census-~ing ~!m~~~)9}.~t pla~ed, by its count~rpart !D, ~~harashtr~j Ta,ttul ~~u(111 the liglit of the reports contained In AppendIx 4~ a.~d'.~ppendix 47 ' ','. ' 166 , ,.t. ,'\,. . " " ~dix49 : D.O. No. C.l1046(HAO)/91/3126 dated 29,,1-90 from the fljr~tof; Qf Ctmsus,OperatioBs, West ~gal.to ~ Chief S~~IHta:ry, ,GovemlIl~nt, of West Bengal" enclosmg ~ D~O. ~~*te,r~if.roln 1V;lIC, I~AAr, LOUD and M.D. Depa.rtmcmts, 'Goy~mme,nt of We~t )Je'ngal as. addre~sed to the May~rs of Calcutta MC and Haom MC respectIvely, on th'e subject Of issue of Government orders appointin~ respective ]\.{pni­ cipal Commissioners the Principal Census Officers for the clty in question . I 167.. 168 Appendix 50 : A note on the· proposed conduct of the 1991 Census of the city of Haora by the Haora MC which was sent by the Director .of Census Operations to the. Municipal Commis­ sioner, Haora MC with his D.O. No. C.ll016(Hao)/91/2698 dated 21-12-89 169-171

~!1dix 51 : D.O. No. C.L1016/(HAO)/91/3116 dated 29-1-90 from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Muincipal Commissioner, Haora MC, enclosing inter alia a fresh note on the involv~ment of the Haora MC in the taking of the 1991 Census in the city 112-173 : D.O. No .. D.26014jEstt./89/2652 dated 18-12-89 from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Registrar , General, India, informing him about the preliminary measu­ res bein$ takon in ,regard' to census in _Calcutta· city 114-175 (vi)

PAGES Appendix 53 Letter No. C.11024/(HL)/91/3147 dated 1-2-90, from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to all District Magistrates on the subject of preparation of lay-out sketches, enclosing a copy of a note containing guidelines 'for pre­ paration of lay-out sketches for the Clty of Calcutta and Habra by the staff of the Census Directorate Appendix 54 Letter No. C.ll042/(CAL)(91/3425 dated 20/28-2:..90' from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to 'all District Magistrates on the subject of pl·eparation·ofiay .. O'ut sketches, enclosing copies of a series of maps and sketches which were utilised/prepared by a staff of the Census Directora te Appendix 55 : D~O. No. C.l1046(HAO)/91/3385 dated 23/26-2-90/26, fron1 the Director ofCensus Operations, West Bengal to the Chief Secreta,ry, Government of West Bengal, informing pim aboutthe willingness on the part of the Mayor, Haora MC to associate the Municipal Commissioner with the :cenSllS of the city in the capacity of Principal Census Officer Appendix 56 D. O.No. C.l1046(HAO)/91/3386 datoo 23/26-2-90 from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to thtfMuniejpal Commissioner, Haora MC on the subject of the'latter's appointment as Principal Census Officer, Maora City 201 Appendix 57 : D.O. No. C.lI046(HAO)/91/3384 dated 23/26-2~90~ from !he Director of Census Operations to the District Magistrate, Haora regarding staff support and other assistance· 'in the Gensus "or Haora .City Appendix 58 D.O. No. C,11042(Cal)/91j3447 dated 2/5':'3-90 frdm -the Di(ect~r ?f<;ensus'Operatiqns, West B~., gal to the'~u?icipal CommIsSloner, .Calcutta MC, enclosIng a note In'dlcatmg the- minimal assista,nce the Corporation will 'be required to extend to the Census Directorate in regard to the"Census 'of Calcutta City Appendix 59 D.O. No. C.11042/(CaI)/91/3687 dated 22~3,;,90, from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, enclosing a copy of letter No. S. 3032 dated 15-3-90, from the Mumicipal Seere­ ta,ry, Calcutta, MC c()ntaining the resolution adopted Iby' the Mayor-in-Council at its meeting held 'on 8-3~'90, regaOOing the appointment of the Municipal Commissioner artd ·'the Special Oflicer(P} of C.M.C. as the Principal Census Officer and the Deputy Principal Census' Officer respectively for the Calcutta city 205-206 Append~x 60 : ·D.O. No. C.11042/(Cal)l91/3688 dated 22-3;;90, from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to theMWlicjpal Commissioner, Calcutta, Corporation regarding the . latter's appointment as the Prinoipal Census Officer, Calcutta city 207 Appendix 61 : D.O. No. 100'Commr. dated 174-90, from the Municipal Commim,Oner, Haora MC confirming ,. the provision t of accommodation to the Census Directorate on the 4tlhdioor of the Annexe Building of Haora Corporation Office 208 (vii)

PAGES

Appendix 62 : Order No. A.46015/Estt./89/326 dated 8-5-90, regarding deployment of the staff of the Census Directorate for con­ ducting the Census of Calcutta city 209-210 Appendix 63 : Order No. A.46015/Estt./89/558 dated 24-5-90 on the same subject as that of Appendix 62 211-216 Appendix 64 Letter No. Cen/HMC/90-91/Estt./1145 DP dated 9-8-90, from the Municipal Commissioner and Principal Census Officer, Raora MC, expressing certain difficulties with regard to attendance of census training classes by teachers of some secondary schools 217 Appendix 65 Letter No. C.I1046/(HAO)/91/1523 dated 10-8-90, from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Director, School Education, West Bengal on the subject of school teachers in census work in Haora city 218 Appendix 66 D.O. No. C 1l042(jCal)/91/5091 dated 14/17-2-92, from the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal to the Registrar General, India, giving a short account of the problems of coverage of population encountered during the 1991 Census in Calcutta and elncosing a report on Calcutta city census in 1991 as submitted by Sri M.K. Bose, Deputy Director in charge of census of Calcutta city Appendix 67 A note on census in Haora city as submitted by Shri N. Hajra, Deputy Director in Charge of census of Haora city 224-225 Appendix 68 A report on the census in the districts of North Twenty Four Parganas and South Twenty Four Parganas as submhted by Sri A.G. Ghosh, Regional Deputy Director 226-227 Appendix 69 A report on the census in the district of Maldah and Birbhum as submitted by Shri S. G. Neogi, Regional Deputy Director 228 Appendix 70 A report on the census in the district of Barddhaman and Hugli as submitted by Sri A. K. Makar, Regional Deputy Director 229 Appendix 71 A report on the census in the district of Nadia as submitted by Sri A. M. Tarafdar, Regional Deputy Director 230 Appendix 72 A report on the census in the districts of West Dinajpur, Koch Bihar and Jalpaiguri as submitted by Sri G. C. Ghosh, Regional Deputy Director 231-233 Appendix 73 Copy of Houselist 234 Appendix 74 Copy of Houselist Abstract 235-236 Appendix 75 Copy of Enterpriselist 237 Appendix 76 Copy of Enterpriselist Abstract 238 Appendix 77 Copy of list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as used by Enumerators of West Bengal during Houselisting Operations and Enumeration in the 1991 Census 239-241 Appendix 78 List of Mouzas in Maldah district where census wr,s conducted by both West Bengal and Bihar 242 (viii)

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Appendix 79 Copy of Abridged Houselist 243 ~-248 Appendix 80 Copy of Individual Slip 249-250 Appendix 81 Copy of Houselhod Schedule 251-252 Appendix 82 Copy of Working Sheet 253-254 Appendix 83 Copy of Enumerator's Abstract 255 Appendix 84 Copy of Post Graduate Degree Holders & Technical Person­ nel Schedule 256-257 Appendx 85 : Press Release dated 26-3-91 on Provisional Population Results for West l3engal 258-261 Appendix 86 Circular No. I containing 'General Instructions for conduct of 1991 Census Operations' 262-269 Appendix 87 Circular No.2 on 'Delimitation of Census Divisions' 270--282 Appendix 88 Circular No.3 on 'Location Code' 283--286 Appendix 89 Circular NO.4 on 'Training of Census Personnel-House­ listing Operations' 287-290 Appendix 90 Circular No. 5 on 'Formation of Non-military Special Charges' 291--294 Appendix 91 Circular No.6 on 'Charge Registers and other forms con­ nected with census operations' 295··-310 Appendix 92 Circular No.7 on 'Village Directory' 311---319 Appendix 93 Circular No.8 on 'Town Directory' 320-336 Appendix 94 Circular No.9 on 'Houselisting Operations-Supervision of Operations-Handling and Processing of forms' 337-347 Appendix 95 Circular No. 10 on 'Formation of Enumeration Blocks and Preparation of the Abridged Houselist' 348-358 Appendix 96 Circular No. lIon 'Preparing for Enumeration-Training and Organisation' 359-363 Appendix 97 Circular No. 12 on 'Reporting of Provisional Results and steps preparatory to that' 364---369 Appendix 98 Appendix No. 13 on 'Enumeration-Management of Records Relating to Census Forms and Schedules used. in Enumera­ tion' 370-379 Appendix 99 Letter No. G.18020/2/91-BC dated 17-9-91, from OROl on the subject of 'Payment of honorarium to the Enumerators engaged for conducting PEC/CES work' 380 Appendix 100 D.O. letter from Sri Benoy Krishna Chowdhury, Minister, Land and Land Reforms, Panchayat & C.D. and Rural Development Departments, Government of West Bengal to the Chairmen of Zilla Parishads, requesting them to take personal interest in making the census in their respective districts a grand success 381 CHAPTER-! Introduction

PURPOSE Al'.'D SCOPE OF nns REPORT : In one of his poems Rabil1dranath Tagore visualised However, a conjunction of various circumstances ten­ a situation a century hence where someone was going ded to detract from its traditional glamour and attrac­ through his poem with avid interest. As time has amply tion to the point of its finding itself going a-begging proved, Tagorc's works are well on the way to dominate towards the end of the eighties. A number of young and the cultural scenario of Bengal for century after cen­ competent officers were considered and even selected tury. For lesser mortals like us, who are perforce en­ one after another to conduct the 1991 Census, but none gaged in a thoroughly prosaic venture of churning out of them was found agreeable to take up this onerous official reports, however, the prospects of being read assignment on some ground or other. Ultimately, the at all even ten years hence are but next to nil. Going choice fell on me, who with slightly more than three by my own experience, though, I may perhaps be sure years of service left was a somewhat odd selection. of at least one reader in the person of the officer who The Government-both at the Centre and the State­ will be called upon to head the Census Directorate probably had little option. They had to finalise the se­ at the time of the first census of the 21st Century. It is lection of the Director for West Bengal without any primarily keeping in view his reuqirement of information further delay. An absolutely time-bound operation, relating to the 1991 Census that I am addressing my­ census needed elaborate preparations, the management self to the task of writing out this Administration of which would not simply take off till the captain of Report. the team was firmly put on the saddle, and it had already become too late in the day to waste further time over abortive exercises in the selection of a suitable officer That being the case, there seems to be little point in to head the Directorate. For in all the previous cen­ undertaking any elaborate narration of the entire ex­ suses, at least since Independence, the Director (or the perience of the 1991 Census rather than conveying the Superintendent, as he used to be called in earlier days) gist of the same for possible practical guidance as and had joined by April or May of the last year of the decade when needed. For it is much easier to forecast the preceding the census year. But it was not until Nove­ population in the next decade with confidence than mber, 1989 that it was possible on the part of the State anticipate the circumstances and difficulties attending Government to get hold of an officer who finally ac­ the next census. A detailed account of every incident cepted the posting. The urgency was such that not even that appeared to be important to the census-taking my willingness was ascertained, and I was asked by the machinery of 1991 may turn out to be largely of a merely Chief Secretary, at the instance of the Registrar General, historical significance rather than any practical conse­ India, to attend the first conference of the Directors quence because of the pervasive and fundamental changes at Delhi from 6-11-89 to 9-11-89 as the Director-designate that are liable to mark the 2001 administrative scenario, even before I was formally released from my existing especially in the context of West Bengal with its record duties of the Managing Dircetor, West Bengal Central of unusual difficulties and problems. However, no Co-operative Land Development Bank Ltd. matter how different the situation might become towards the turn of the century, I have a feeling that the cir­ Personally speaking, this appointment evoked a culars issued and the important correspondences made mixed feeling in me. I did not exactly feel-elated to be by us in connection with the 1991 Census would still selected for this important job, which also offered prove to be of practical use. That is why I propose to an opportunity to me to make my mark and enjoy some confine the narrative part of this report to the bare kind of limelight and even fame associated with this minimum and put more emphasis on appending the cir­ assignment. I was aware of the circumstances attending culars and letters, which will not only convey the manner my selection. I knew that this job, however important in which the 1991 Census was conceived and con­ to the Government or even the society at large, had ducted but also furnish some handy tools for use in turned so hazardous as to find no taker. Moreover, similar circumstances. However, I propose to give an having been thrust on me at the fag end of my career, elaborate ac..:ount of some of the important operations it hardly suited my personal convenience. In the first as well as the crucial problems and circumstances, as place this was a very exacting and strenuous job, en­ in the present chapter. tailing a good deal of physical and mental exertion and also involving, in the context of West Bengal, the ma­ nagement of multifarious critical problems and hazards. My ApPOINTMENT AS DIRECTOR As such an officer in the last lap of his carreer, with failing health and sagging energy, could hardly be ex­ pected to do justice to the work except at the cost of a I was appointed the Director of Census Operations, severe damage to his health and tranquillity. As a W es~ Bengal in somewhat peculiar circumstances. matter of fact, as subsequent events proved, the exten­ l!nttl recently, this post used to be deemed a presti­ sive and almost incessant tours that I had to undertake ~IOUS one and, judging by the reputation of the illustrious on the eve of and during the operations, the frequent ltlcumbents, was open to handpicked officers alone. bouts of disturbRnces giving rise to uncertainties and 2 causing tension and stress, and .above all the need to My FIRST MEETING WITH THE REGlSr3.AR GENERAL, INDIA cope with numerous problems with the help of a none too efficient machinery took a heavy toll on my health. Even before I formally joined as Director, r had Secondly, despite the oner?us. nature o~ the dlties, the been caned upon to attend the first conference 07 Direc­ assignment held no financIal mcentlve lor me but ultl­ tors, as already mentioned. It was in cmme of this matelv rather proved to be a source of financial [ass. conference and especially during the separate session This 'was however, because of certain circumstances of all Directors and Director-designates with him that peculiar t~ me. The post no doubt carried a special pay 1 got my Drst opportunity to meet Registrar General. of Rs. 500/-. However, [ could never enjoy the benefit Sri A. R. Nanda. He was obviously pleased with my of this special pay. For under the ru~es I was pre'l:ented acceptance of the assignment. On my part I found him from doing so, as I had already attamed the maxImum to be not only thoroughly business-like and adrent but of the pay scale in the Junior Administrative Grade also full,of understanding and sympatllY. His informal of the lAS. when I joined the post. This was patently yet digmfied bearing immediately endeared him to tlle tantamount to a cruel and unjust provision, especially Directors. This meeting abo enabled me to come into in t[1e context of my responsibilities. For the brunt of closer touch with the other important officials of the the burden remained the same irrespective of whether Regi~trar General's office. Generally speaking, the first the incumbent of the post had reached the maximum impression that I got of the job as well as of the nerve of the pay scale or not. A younger incumbent would centre of the countrywide census organisation was an clearly not have .bc:en deni~d his ~ues. Moreov~r, agreeable one. there was little lOgIC III my bemg depnved of the speCial pay while my counterparts in smaller or much less difficult or hazardous States or Union Territories THE SITUAnON AS ASSESSED OX ASSUMPTION OJ' enjoyed the same in ful~ without having to work under CHARGE as much stress and stram as J. As a matter of fact the Ch.andigath Bench of the Central Administrative Tri­ bunal had quashed the relevant rule, namely the first Back home, I quickly wound up some work pending proviso to Rule 9 of the Indian Administrative Service at my level at the Appex Land Development Ballk and (Pay), Second Amendment Rules, 1987 asdiscrimi~at?ry joined as Director of Census Operations, West Bengal and ultra vires of Artldes 14 and 16 of the ConstltutiOn Immediately, I consulted my officers and took stock of India. But the GO'iernment of India went on appeal. of the situation so that I could draw up plans for pre­ Howeyer, the Government of West Bengal, took a paratory work in the next few weeks in the light of the sympathetic view and passed an order on 15-11-91 priorities suggested by the State of things. My earlier directing that, subject to the results of ~he appeal case, association with the 1971 Census stood me in good stead the restriction regardltlg drawal of speCIal pay byLA.S. in reading the situation and deciding the priorities. offi:;:ers in the Junior Administrative Grade would not The crux of the situation was that hardly any definite he enforced with effect from that date in respect ofIAS. course of action had been decided on in regard to a officers serving under tte State Govemment. Unfortu­ number of issues which were vital to the holding of the nately I was still denied the benefit of this lifting of 1991 Census in the State, there having been no Director emba;go on the ground that, though belonging to the to ponder the issues and make the decision. It seemed West Bengal Cadre of ~he I:A.S., I wa'.> not ent\tled .to that everyone was waiting for the Director to join the the relaxation in questIon Slnce I was not servmg In­ and take care of setting entire machinery in motion conn~tion with the affairs of the State Government. after deciding the course of movement. This was in a The importance and urgency of the tabulation work also way not unusual. For, customarily, it is the Dire<:tor stood in the wa,r of my immediate reversion to the who serves as the prime mover. In short, there was State Government, thereby leading to a prolongation of little sign of preparedness, let alone a clear idea as to deprivation of my dues. Thus a conju.nction of unfor~u­ how to tackle the numerous problems and overcome nate circumstances served to rob my Job of Its financIal the difficulties and constraints that were stadng the organisation in the face. On the other hand, I had to incentives. docide fast on a number of issues and start the ball rolling sillce we were nearly seven months behind in the Despite all these illcongenial fae.tors, however, race, at least as judged by the delay in the assumption there was no denying the fact that thIS wa~ a re~l!y of duties by the Director, who is, practically, the pivot chullengingjob which called for a good deal of mgenUlty, of the entire census machinery. endurance and even courage in the changed context. It even held promises for an enriching experience con­ Besides a few bad legacies of 1981 Census, to which ducive to the growth of an officer, only that ~~ .my case I shall revert shortly, the most crucial problem requiring there would practically be no sco~e for ';ltIhsmg that to be tackled immediately related to the setting up of an experience any further, at least In Officl~t busmess. adequate machinery for conducting the ceasus of the I also realised that the Government was 1ll a sort of two Corporation Cities of Calcutta and Haora. Ever predicament and it was expecte~ of a consc!enti?us since 1951 Calcutta had been the direct responsibility officer to appreciate the comp.ulslOns of the sltl!-atlOn of the Census Directorate, it being a Corporation area and bring himself to sacrificing hiS personal convemences and there being no district authority to be entrusted in the greater interest. Morevoer, t~ere was perhaps with the conduct of its census. For historical reasons, an advantage in having me as the D~rector because of again the Calcutta Municipal Corporation had practi­ my past experience as a Deputy ~lrector of Census callY 'ceased after 1941 to take any effective part in the Operations in 1971. So, braced WIth these thoughts census-taking in the city in sharp contrast to the civic and being forearmed with all exposure to the first con­ authorities of the metropolitan cities of Bombay, ference of Directors, I joined my new post on 1-12-89. Madras and Delhi. In the earlier censuses one Deputy would have liked a process of fresh recruitment to be Director used to be earmarked for conducting the cen­ kept open in the fond hope that it might somehow be sus of Calcutta. It was his job to start from scratch possible for one of their wards to be taken in even and build up an elaborate census machniery in order on a casual basis. However,] was determined to do to conduct the census of the city. I myself had done this away with the system of fresh recruitment on the eve job in 1971 during one of the most troubled periods in of the census simply because otherwise we would be in the history of the city. However, two new factors had a soup when the sanction for these posts would finally to be taken into account in deciding the strategy this expire. As a matter of fact, events proved that this time. In the first place the area of Calcutta had been decision was a wise one. For all these posts were ulti­ enlarged by the annexation of three contiguous muni­ mately abolished with effect from 31-5-91 at a very short cipalities of Jadavpur, South Suburban and Garden notice, and we had to face little difficulty in releasing Reach in 1984, which formed together the new 41 the deputationists. Wards, taking the total number of Wards to 141 in place of 100 in the earlier two censuses. Besides this So far as Haora city was concerned the position was largely enhanced jurisdiction, bringing in its wake a somewhat similar to that of Calcutta. Till 1971 the host of logistic and other kinds of problems, there was census of the city used to be the responsiblitity of the the crucial administrative problem of building up the District Magistrate, who would get it done with the set up of the census organisation for the city. Whereas help of the civic authorities. Shortly before 1981, in the districts it was mainly the civic authority of a however, Haora became a Municipal Corporation, and town/city which bore the brunt of the burden of orga­ the district administration was reluctant to assume the nising the census, albeit with peripheral support from . responsibility for conducting the census of the city. the district or local adminitration, in the case of Cal­ The civic authorities initially agreed to conduct the cutta the entire machinery had to be built afresh under census on their own. However, owing to a sudden strike the aegis of the Directorate itself. The field workers by the civic employees and other factors the Muni­ such as Enumerators, etc., would no doubt be recruited cipal Corporation abandoned the task at the eleventh in time. But in a vast city like this with its multifarious hour. The situation had to be saved somehow by problems, a huge requirement of manpower and the entrusting the census of the town to a team of selected most difficult and varied dispersal of areas, it was staff of the Directorate placed under the Deputy Direc­ essential to have our own men to organise the census tor in charge of the region. Thus, since 1981, Haora and see the entire operations through without having Municipal Corporation area too came to become the to rely On the routine involvement of the honorary direct responsibility of the Census Directorate. supervisory officials called the Charge Officers and Circle Supervisors. In earlier censuses each Ward of Calcutta, forming what is called a Census Charge, However, the holding of census in the city of Cal­ cutta (as well as Haora) was fraught with the problem used to be entrusted to the care of a regular staff of the Directorate called the Charge Inspector or Charge relating not only to the recruitment of regular staff to Assistant, who functioned under the supervision of a supervise the census in a Ward but a host of other matters too like arranging accommodation for tempo­ Zonal Census Officer subject to overall control of the Deputy Director, Calcutta City. Now, the incumbents rary ce,nsus offices and transport for the supervisory officials, recruiting a vast army of honorary census of these key posts mostly used to be recruited afresh during every census, supplemented by a few spa­ workers to do the field operations, eliciting the co­ operation of the people through publicity and other rable staff from the Directorate as well as officials measures, etc. Some of these problems had of course brought on deputation from other offices of the State/ to be tackled by the Directorate on its own, while others Central Government. Till 1981 it had not posed much of a problem to rehabilitate the fresh recruits at the end needed the help and support of the State Government of the census in alternative jobs either in the Directo­ and the civic authorities along with others. It was felt rate or in various offices under the Central or the State that in line with the system prevelant in the other metro­ Government or Government Undertakings. However, politan cities of the country it would be advisable to involve the civic authorities of Calcutta and Haora the context had in the meanwhile changed altogether more intimately and effectively. This, however, meant in that it was well-nigh impossible to ensure absorption of the surplus staff at the end of census in the Directo­ a radical change in the existing practice and it was rate itself, which was already overcrowded, or in any clear that without a good deal of persuasion, if not pre­ office under the Central or State Government because ssure, the respective Municipal Corporations would of rigid recruitment rules and procedures which allowed not agree to assume this added responsibility. The no scope for easy or automatic absorption of these first step in this direction was not only to approach staff. On the other hand we could not simply afford the civic authorities but also to secure the assent and to conduct the census of the city with an army of staff active support of the State Government. who would face inevitable retrenchment at the end of the operations. For, as it was, we were already facing The other problem facing the Directorate related ~nough trouble on account of long-drawn agitation and to the recruitment of Census Enumerators, etc., in litigation by the retrenched fixed pay staff of the 1981 connection with the field operations. In order to collect ~ensus. Considering all these I at once decided to go the data by canvassing the census schedules from door III for mo,?iIising as many members of the regular staff to door it was necessary to raise a huge army of Enu­ of the DIrectorate in taking the census of Calcutta merators, numbering more than a lakh, besides Super­ and Haora as possible and to fill the gap by bringing visors to the tune of nearly one fifth of that number, persons on deputation. Of course, this decision did not all of whom would have to render voluntary services :find favour with even many in the Directorate, for many in this regard against a token honorarium. Previously, 4

Enumerators were drawn mainly from amongst school ~nxiety and threat to the succes of the census itself. teachers, governmnet servants and educated unemployed Some sort of indulgence and even encouraf.ement and youth, especially in the urban area~, where it was com­ counselling by a designing section of the Directorate paratively difficult to find adequate number of Enu­ could not be ruled out, for there were indications that merators (and Supervisors from amongst members of both these groups had some links with some of the the first two categories. However, one disquieting legacy interested staff of the Directorate. In fact mony mem­ of the 1981 Census was that the erstwhile Enumerators bers of the staff did not seem to see any wrong in cham­ of the 1981 Census had formed an association stypled pioning the cause of one or both of these two groups, as Ex-Census Workers' Association and had been because they had relations or friends belonging to the agitating over various demands, including one to the group or because they themselves had been recruited effect that Enumerators and Supervisors for the 1991 once upon a time through the same channel. It was Census should be engaged from their members alone. not at all difficult to see that many ill the Directorate Evidently, they were not motivated by any lofty public viewed the census as an avenue for promoting the spirit but by the cold calculation to capture the temporary cause of unemployed young relatives who would pos­ jobs in the tabulation offices on the conclusion of the sibly earn a claim to future employment through census on the strength of their census experience and backdoor by being first somehow engaged as an Enu­ thereafter to use the jobs in the tabulation offices as merator/Supervisor and then recruited as a fixed pay a ladder for securing permanent jobs in various offices employee in a tabulation office on conclusion of the under the Central or State Government. They probably census. No wonder that they would take all pains to hit upon this plan inspired by the earlier trend of ab­ create pressure---direct as well as indirect- to keep sorption of many of the employees of tabulation offices open the channel for induction of unemployed youth in alternative jobs under the Central/State Government! as Enumerators/Supervisors. I am referring elaborately Government undertaking, etc., thanks to the sympathe­ to all these circumstances and under-currenls to give tic attitude adopted by the respective Governments in an indication of what tremendous pressure from within course of the earlier censuses. However, a sea change as well as outside we were subjected to which came had taken place in the meanwhile in the system of re­ from pressure-groups whose primary I:nterest was to cruitment, making it impossible to ensure or facilitate use the census as a lever to secure employment for such absorption of reternched tabulation staff in alter­ their proteges. Thus in West Bengal the main obstacle native jobs. As a matter of fact despite various earnest in the path of organising and conducting the census attempts to see them so rehabilitated, it had so far been smoothly and efficiently was the persistent and insistent possible to find alternative jobs for only a section of the pressure from various interested groups who aimed retrenched staiT of the tabulation offices of the 1981 at securing their own end of creating a channel for Census, and a number of them were still staging a recruitment of unemployed youth as Enumerators! 'dharna' before my office with almost religious per­ Supervisors, followed by their employment in tabulation sistence, while some of their colleagues had engaged offices and, ultimately, absorption in some perma­ in a prolonged litigation, demanding alternative jobs. nent employment. Those who sympathised with and Moreover it was the prospect of unemployment at the encouraged these pressure groups did not obviously end of the inevitable termination of their services on bother the least about the implications of the modus conclusion of tabulation which had provoked many operandi of these groups for the employment policy of the fixed pay employees drawn from amongst the un­ of the Government, let alone the great hazards these employed youth to take recourse to various desparate posed for the taking of the census and the tabula­ acts of indiscipline that not only thwarted the progress tion of the census data according to a rigid time table. of tabulation work but also gave rise to a serious law and order situation, necessitating police protection for a year or so. On the other hand the ex-Enumerators My FIRST CONTACT WITH THE STATE GOVERNMENT Rnd Supervisors of the 1981 Census (a different cate­ AS DIRECTOR AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ISSUED gory from the retrenched young tabulation staff, who AND MEETINGS HELD CLOSELY FOLlOWING THE SAME had been recruited through the Employment Exchanges from amongst the registered unemployed in general) had aIso been agitating vigorously throughout the I had joined as Director on 1-12-89. l called on Sri decade, demanding many concessions. All in all there T. C. Dutt, lA.S., Chief Secretary to the Government were enough reasons to be wary of recruiting unemplo­ of West Bengal on 4-12-89, which was the next working yed youth either as honorary Enumerators/Supervisors day. The Chief Secretary indicated that he was greatly to do the census field work or as fixed pay stafr in the relieved at my joining, since he had been told by the tabulation offices. However, we were faced on the Registrar General, India that until and unless the Di­ one hand with the remnants of the agitation/litigation rector of Census Operations was selected or joined, by the retrenched tabulation staft' of the 1981 tabulation there would be no census at all in West Bvngal. He offices and 011 the other with the stubbornly insistent assured me that mine was a good job, affording op­ and persistent demand by the erstwhile Enumerators/ portunities to write reports and also l'(;ftrred to my Supervisors for engagement as voluntary field workers illustrious predecessors. As regards the recruitment of in the 1991 Census with the ulterior motive as described fresh staff in the Directorate for conducting the census above. Behind both the groups, more so in the case in Calcutta and Haora Cities or in the tabulation of the latter group, we could sense a lot of political offices, he categorically maintained that the State Go­ and bureaucratic support, though more covert than vernment would not accept any responsibility for ab­ owrt. As later events showed, we could smoothly sorbing or ensuring jobs for retrenched census emplo­ deal with the problem posed by the first group, but the yees. Hence census should be conducted in such a second group proved to be a source of constant trouble, way as not to leave a huge army of retrenched workers 5 taking to an agitatlonal course. As regards the re­ at all on grounds of other preoccupations, lack of in­ trenched ex-tabulation staff agitating in front of the frt\structural facility, lack of personnel, etc. The Chief census office, he stated that if any recruitment was to Secretary, however, pcremptority overruled the ob­ be made at all, that should be done from amongst jections and firmly asked them to place a revised pro­ those people. In general, however, we should do away posal in the light of the discussions held in the meeting. with appointing unemployed persons as Enumerators/ He also assured that he would talk to the respective Circle Supervisors. I requested the Chief Secretary Mayors. In fact he talked to the Mayor of Haora for certain other helps such as the issuance of a letter Corporation then and there over the phone. It was of introduction to enable me to correspond with the thanks to the firm stand taken by the Chief Secretary District Magistrates and others, to which he readily that it was ultimately possible to overcome all resi­ agreed and asked for a draft. I was also asked to indi­ stance and have the Municipal Corporatoins involved cate a date for Registrar General's customary meeting more intimately in the census. A fuller account of with District Magistrates and Secretaries of certain how this was achieved will be given later. In this me­ Departments as well as the respective Municipal Com­ eting the problem relating to the engagement of un­ missioners for Calcutta and Haora. In view of the employed youth in census was also touched upon. already fixed meeting of District Magistrates on 11-12-89 The said two meetings served to give a definite shape in connection with the State Plan, the Chief Secretary and direction to the preparatory exercises, especially asked me to finalise the date in consultation with the in the matter of organising the census in the twin cities Secretary, Development and Planning, who was also of Calcutta and Haom as well as in certain other cru­ present at that time. Later in the chamber of Sri N. cial matters. This is by no means to suggest that it Krishnamurthi, LA.S., Home Secretary, the matter was thenceforth a smooth sailing all along. There were was further discussed and subsequently the meeting still many problems and uncertainties, ups and downs was fixed on 12-12-89. The Registrar General agreed and successes and failures. But the point is that these to attend the meeting on his way back from Bhuva­ two meetings paved the way for driving the prepa­ neswar. However, some confusion ensued following ratory endeavours along definite channels. a last moment change in the date. The State Govern­ ment wanted to hold the meeting with the District The introductory letter fron~ the C.h~er Secretary Magistrates and others on 11-12-89 itself in order to to the departmental Secretanes, DlVlslOnal Co­ take advantage of the presence of the former in connec­ missioners and District Magistrates was issued shortly tion with the planning. However, the Registrar Gene­ after the said meetings. It had been decided in the me­ ral did not come to Calcutta on 10-12-89 as earlier eting with the District Magistrates that they would scheduled as he was stuck up at Bhuvaneswar and came select a Deputy Magistrate to be appointed the Dis­ in the evening of 11-12-89. When contacted over the trict Census Officer (the District Magistrate himself phone at Bhuvaneswar, he asked me to hold the me­ being the Principal Census Officer for the district) ting with the District Magistrate as scheduled. Mean­ Acc~rdin~ly, I issued a radi?gr~m, followed by a while the Chief Secretary kindly agreed to hold the demI-officIal letter to all DIstrict Magistrates for meeting with the Secretaries of some Departments nominati.ng. an officer. . '~hese were my first as well as the Municipal Commissioners of Calcutta commUllIcatlOns to the DIstnct Magistrates. How­ and Haora in his chamber on 12-12-89, as earlier de­ ever, my first most detailed and important letter to cided. Accordingly, the first important meeting on the District Magistrates was in the form of a census was held at Rotunda, Writers' Buildings on circular, namely Circular No. I, which I shall revert 11-12-89, which was presided over by the Chief Sec­ to in the next chapter. retary and attended by the Home Secretary along with the Secretaries of a 'few other Departments as I have given above a more or less chronologicul well as all the District Magistrates and one Divisional account of what happened immediately prior to and Commissioner. The Chief Secretary introduced me following my appointment as Director. At this point and spoke a few introductory words. I then explained I p.ropose to break ~he chronological continuity for a what the census was and how we proposed to set about whIle and .r~count bne~y a couple of important aspects taking the census and precisely what help and assis­ of the POSItIon at the tlme of my assumption of duties. tance we expected from different quarters, especially the district administration. The response was generally satisfactory. The District Magistrates in particular DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFICE AND THE HIERARCHY THAT interacted well. The other meeting was held on 12-12-89, I INHERITED which was attended by the Registrar General. For this meeting I had already briefed him. I had also, at When I joined as. Director the position of the office the instance of the Home Secretary, met Sri M. K. wa~ like t~is. ~he Directorate was being headed by a Moitra, LA.S., Secretary, Local Government and semor Jomt DIrector. namely, Sri Sukumar Sinha. Urban Development Department and Sri L. R. K. He was a veteran officer, serving in the Directorate for Prasad, I.A.S.. Commissioner, Calcutta Municipal n,~a~ly 27,Years. He originally belonged to the State Corporation and had sent them a detailed note on what elVll SerVIce and was on deputation. Later on in 1978 !he Corporation was expected to do. The meeting ~e resigned fro111 the civil service and was absorbed Itse~f was. a grand success, being dominated by the III the Directorate. Besides Sri Sinha there were two busmess-lIke but determined Chairmanship of the Chief Deputy Directors, n~mely Dr. K. S. Dey and Sri A. K. Secreta~y .. The Registrar General's presence was also Dutta ~nd two ASSIstant Directors, namely Sri D. P. very .effectIve. Initially, the Commissioners of both . Chatterjee and Smt. S. Chakraborty. Sri D. P. Chatter­ the. CIty Corporations vehemently opposed the idea of jee, ~as later on promoted as Deputy Director. During theIr respectIve Corporations having to do the census the mter-censal period this disposition of Supervisory 6

Oftieers may have been adequate, B~t,.it was utterly and office management as relevant for the eifu:icn insufficient to meet the ma?ifold and mSlstent ~emand accomplishment of the objectives of the organisation. f the; 1991 Census especIally because the entIre ccn­ This is by no means to suggest that the office was en­ ~U& of two· very difficult and vast cities had to be con­ tirely devoid of efficient and capable hands. It was ducted by the Directorate with little support from the precisely because the .organisation was fortunate enough civic authorities, As a matter of fact the preparatory to get the services of some really worthy and dedi­ work suffered much because of lack of adequate super­ cated officers and staff who rose to the occasion that it visory support. Even routine work like that of the was somehow possible to see the census through in Drawing and: Disbursing Officer suffered because he such difficult circumstances and against such heavy had to shoulder a lot of additional burden in connection odds despite the many inadequacies of the machinery. with the· 1991 Census, which meant that he had to work Sri Ajit Ganguly, the Office Superintendent, was a under gn~at strain to cope with the increasing burden very competent and hardworking official. He was ably of his responsibility as DDO as and when the work of assisted by a few other competent staff, notably Smt. the 1991 Census proliferated, bringing in its wake a Mira Ghosh, Smt. Sibani Das Gupta and Sri Manindra tremendous rise in thenumber of T. A. bills, contin­ Nath Mazumdar. However, it became apparent to gent bills and the like. The delay in the creation of me within a short period that compared to at least posts and, more so, the delay in having officers in posi­ 1971 the office was not exactly equal to the task of ti-on dealt a severe blow to the progress of work. J meeting the many challenges that would be thrown up have already described how the census preparations by the 1991 Census. The inadequacies and deficiencies had already suffered because I joined rather late. In of the office were revealed further as the census opera· the eadier censuses the Director had joined by April tions progressed and particularly as more and more or May of the last year of the decade preceding the regional or subordinate offices were opened. The census, so that he got nearly 22 months to prepare for Regional Deputy Directors often complained of lack the final Enumeration, This is the ideal timing of the of prompt, appropriate or adequate supportive action joining of the Director. As regards Deputy Directors on the part of the Directorate. In fact the central and Assistant Directors too, it is necessary that most set up at the Headquarters was utterly inadequate to of them should be in position by March of the year cope with the proliferation of work resulting from ex.­ precedi.ng the census year and, so far as West Bengal pansion of subsidiary units, At times I had to face not is concerned, at least two of the Regional Deputy a little difficulty in appeasing them and inducing them Directors-one for Calcutta and another for Haora to get reconciled to the occasional lack of orderliness, city-should be in position by July or August of the alacrity and promptitude on the part of our office in year previous to that. For instance in 1971 Census attending to the numerous problems faced by them. I had joined as Deputy Director, Calcutta City in August While the difficulties being experienced by the R.T.O.'s 1969 white my. Assistant Director too had joined within or other subordinate offices were mostly genuine and a month. I could have joined even earlier, having been merited amelioralive action, it was at the same time selected some months back, but there was some delay apparent that with the excessive strain on the limited in my being relieved of my the then charge of a Sub­ existing staff it was not possible to take care of aU the division. In any case it is clear that the Deputy Direc­ individual issues promptly and effectively. I had also tor, Calcutta City and the Deputy Director, Haora to take enormous pains to forge a sense of unity and City. who have to build from scratch, must be in posi­ cohesion and bring about necessary co-ordination tion at least a year before the Houselisting Operations. amongst the various sections of the office. However, I shall subsequently recount how the Deputy Directors having already done a stint in the field in this Directorate for the 1991 Census were selected. two decades back, I was more or less familiar with its weaknesses and deficiencies and accordingly sought to remain ever watchful to overcome these to the ex­ Besides Deputy Directors and Assistant Directors, tent possible and to make the existing imperfect ma­ there were also a number of Investigators, Statistical chinery serve the end of seeing the 1991 Census through Assistants, Junior Supervisors and Operators (in the by a constant process of adaptation, innovation and D. D. E. Cell) and Assistant Compilers, looking after exertion in a general spirit of co-ordination and under· various technical jobs, some of them being also engaged standing. We would indeed face frustrating circum­ in non-technical jobs too for administrative reasons. stances and grave provocations from interested or I knew some of these staff, who had worked in Calcutta genuinely aggrieved sectons, which were compounded city census office in 1971, while some others were also by wave after wave of agitations and disturbances known to me at that time. However, I had soon to threatening the very census operations, some of them reorganise the office and distribute a large section of the sporadic and unforeseen, and others engineered by existing technical staff in various activities connected interested groups, At times it seemed as if we were with the organisation and conduct of the census in the living fi:om crisis to crisis. But I had to keep a level head two cities. and take things in their stride. So instead of getting impatient with or upset about the inadequacies. of ~he In the Administration and Accounts Section there office I tried to make the best of a bad bargam WIth were some gaps in that the number of experienced and the help and co-operation of the limited number of sin­ knowledgeable staff was not enough to cope with the cere and competent officers and staff available. And inCreasing burden of work. This was attributable I have no hesitation in admitting that many of the offi­ mainly to the superannuation of a number of experienced cers and staff-on the administrative as well as the tech­ staff over the years coupled with the lack of any ef­ nical side-- gave an excellent account of themselves fective system of imparting regular training to the offi­ and gradually improved their ability to meet the io.­ c~rs and staff in the essential aspects of administration creasing demands of the situation to keep the wheels 7 of the census machinery on the move all throughout, few officers and staff on which I had to rely to a grtat more or less according to the prescribed schedule and extent. with the required degree of efficiency. It is needless BACKLOG OF 1981 CENSUS to mention that the strain, both on their energies and on my own temper, was enormous. But ultimately the Fortunately for me, despite inheriting the lega'Y census could be conducted without any major debacle of a few formidable problems as mentioned earlier, or disaster, while on the other hand Some of the pit I was not handicapped by any serious backlog of tho 1981 Census. A couple of publications were still p.. " falls of earlier censuses could also be averted, and the ding, which could be taken care of without much tiif­ credit certainly goes in good measure to those limited ficulty or dislocatoin of normal work.

96-Mjp(II)364RGi--2 CHAPTER-D PREPARATORY STEPS

GtRCULARS ISSUED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL . Users of censl,ls data, who are mainly, if not solely, of not less than 75 per cent of the male working popu­ interested in the particulars data relevant for their lation in non-agricultural pursuits. In every census a immediate needs, are hardly conscious of the tremen­ number of new areas emerge which claim to be treated­ dous amount of labour and organisation going into the as non-municipal census towns on the strength of pro­ collection of the basic information and the compilation nounced urban characteristics including the said econo­ and tabulation of the same into census data. Still less mic feature of the popUlation. While in every census known to the data users and the general public alike are agriculturists (that is, cultivators and agricultural lab­ the series of activities-at the national level as well as ourers) are easily discernible ven at the micro level on the State level~which culminate into and pave the the basis of the classification of main workers (that is, way for the taking of the census of every household workers engaged for the better part of the year prece­ and every individual through the most massive ad­ ding the census) into the four broad categories of workers, ministrative operation of the country. It is is not easy it is not possible readily to arrive at the number to identify with precision the point at which the prepara­ of other workers in the primary sector who come under tory steps for the census commence. For, as Tagore Category III unless the individual slips containing the would have put it, even the lighting of the lamp presup­ work particulars of the workers in question are coded poses the preparation of the wickers. The outline of accordingly during tabulation in terms of the broader the next census starts assuming shape towards the end nine-fold industrial classification. In 1981 such nine­ of the intercensal period with the framing of the census fold industrial classification had not been resorted questionaire, arrived at through data users' conferences to at the village level. That is why the Registrar General and on the basis of field results of pretests. Simul­ now issued certain instructions regarding compilation taneously, a lot of other preparatory activities go on at of the number of male workers in Category 1II at the the State level in the matter of finalising the jurisdiction level of selected villages (i.e., those having a popUlation and allied details of the census units for which the data of 4000 or more and a density of population not less are proposed to be presented. Bascically, the adminis­ than 400 persons per sq. kms. I subsequently gathered trative units remain the same, such as the State, the that the Directorate duly untertook the necessary exer­ Districts, the Police Stations, the Community Develop­ cise and utilised the data to apply the requisite demo­ ment Blocks, the constituent villages or Mouzas in graphic data to determine afresh the status of eligible rural areas and the statutory and the non-statutory villages. census towns. But the lists of towns and villages have to be finalised in consultation with the concerned autho­ INSTRUCTION No.2 FROM REGISTRAR GENBRAL, INDIA rities. The second circular issued in June, 1988 was also in the form of a letter on the subject of 'Classification of However, all the preparatory steps at the State level Rural and Urban Units-1991 Census'. It was pointed are initiated at the instance of the Registrar General, out therein that the first and foremost task to be handled India. It is the circulars and guidelines issued from by the Directors of Census Operations in connection his end which set the ball rolling. with the 1991 Census was the demarcation of places as rural and urban. While declaring that the definition of an urban unit as at the 1981 Census would be retained Since I joined rather late, I found on joining that for the 1991 Census too, the circular laid down the quite a few important circulars had already been issued procedure to be followed in classifying places as urban by the Registrar General, India, aimed at setting in by way of including in the list of towns all places which motion certain processes in the nature of preparatory have been notified under the laws relating to the es­ steps. tablishment of local authorities and have local bodies like municipal corporations, municipalities, etc., ir­ respective of their demographic characteristics and INSTRUCTION No. 1 FROM REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA amenities and also other places which qualify as non· municipal census towns in terms of the three prescribed criteria as well as the places which qualify as marginal The first circular, in the form of a letter issued in cases and are included as urban by the Director in con­ December, 1987, was on the subject of 'Tabulation for sultation with the Government in exercise of the dis­ Industrial Category IlIon Livestock, forestry, fishing, cretionary powers conferred on him. The directives etc., at village level'). It called for an exercise at the contained in this circular were also duly followed in Directorate level to compile at village level the number classifying rural and urban units for the purpose of th; of workers in industrial category III, i.e., livestock, etc. 1991 Census. This formed part of the exercise to determine the rural and urban frame for the purpose of conducting the INSTRUCTION No. 3 FROM REGISTRAL GENERAL, iNDtA 1991 Census. Of the three demographic criteria for treating a place which is not a statutory town as a census The third circular to be issued by the Registrar Gene­ town, probably the most important is the engagement ral was also in the form of a D.O. letter dated 3·5·89 on 8 the subject of 'Tabulation [or Industrial Category III pality, etc., were allowed to take place even shortly on Livestock, forestry, fishing, etc., for census towns before Houselisting Operations, ignoring objections of 1981 and denotified towns after J 981'. It was raised by us. practically a continuation of circular No. I and asked the Directors to repeat the same exercise (aimed at CIRCULAR NO. 4 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA identifying villages y,hich qualify to be treated as census towns based on three demographic criteria) in the case The fourth circular issued by the Registrar Genera of census towns and towns denotified under the laws in April, 1989 was also in the form of a D.O. and dealt relating to establishment of local bodies after the 1981 with the formation of urban agglomerations. The Census to find out the number of main workers under concept of urban agglomeration adopted for the 1981 category III in these towns for the purpose of consider­ Census was retained for the 1991 Census as well. The ing these towns for retention as census towns for the Directorate was instructed to undertake certain exer­ 1991 Census. This exercise was duly undertaken by cises to delineate the urban agglomerations in the State the Directorate, on the basis of the results of which by applying the requisite criteria. The task of deline: three towns were ultimately declassified, retaining all ation of urban agglomeration was taken up in right the other erstwhile census towns or merging some of earnest and completed within the scheduled period. them with other statutory towns, there being no case of denotified towns in West Bengal. CIRCULAR NO.5 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA· The fifth circular too was issued by the Registrar CORRESPONDENCES REGARD1NG F1XlfY OF BOUNDARIES General in April, 1989 011 the subject of delineation of OF ADMINISTRATIYE UNfTS DURiNG rJJE 199i CENSUS Slandard Urban Area (SUA). The concept of SUA OPERATIONS had been adopted fm the 11rst time in 1971 for reporting census data for spatially continuous set of urban and Before referring to the fourth circular 1'rom the Regis­ reral settlements. The standard urban area was defined trar General it would be appropriate to touch upon as the projected growth area of a city or town having the correspondence~ on a very important matkr. Since 50,000 or more population ill 1971, as would be in 1991, cenSus .operations are aimed at capturing population taking into account not only the towns and villages data wIth reference to .not only a point of time but also which will get merged into it but also the interve'lib,g a definite area, it is extemely important to ensure that areas which are potentially urban. It was designed to administrative boundaries are froze'n and no jurisdict­ serve the need for urban developlllcnt planning besides tional changes are effected during the preparatory phase functioning as a constant statistical reporting uriit. in order to avoid dislocation in the efforts at settincr up the In the instant circular it was enjoined that it should be hierarchical census set up for conduct of the fiellopera­ ensured that the existing boundaries of the stand~d tions and also to ensure the immediate relevance of the urban areas were not disturbed, as far as possible and census data. for administrative purposes. As is that changes, wherever unavoidably necessary, should customary III all censuses, the Registrar General re­ be made in c0n~ultation with the Town Planning Depart­ quested Chief Secretaries of all States/Union Terri­ ment of the State and in accordance with the principles tories in his letter dated 17-2-89 to ensure that wherever laid down in the circular. The work in connection any changes in t:iC jurisdiction of the administrative with the delineation of SUA was duly completed ac­ units were found necessary, such change, were effected c(Il'ding to lime ~cheduk. well before 1-10-89, that is, well before the enumeraLor's bloc~s are d~mar~atcd. This was followed up by Sri CIRCULAR No.6 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, iNDIA S. Smha, Jomt Dn'ector by a D.O. letter dated 3-3-89. The Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal for­ The sixth circular of Registrar General dated 28th war~ed to all Departmental Secretaries a copy of the August, 1989 related to the compilation of the District RegIstrar General's letter with ail instruction to finalise Census Handbook, which the census organisation brings \:lU pending proposals for change of boundaries of out on behalf of the State Government after each decen­ administrative units by 1-10-89 at the latest. Subse­ nial census. This circular was followed by a letter quently, th~ Additional Secretary (T), Ministry of issued by Sri A. R. Nanda, the newly appointed Registrar Home AffaIrs, Government of India made a similar General, addressed to the Chief Secretary, explaining request to all Chief Secretaries, which too was passed the details of the the DCH and suggesting certain on by the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal measures for expediting the publication of the DCH to all Departmental Secretaries. In October, 1989 the volumes. Jojnt Director again wrote to the Deputy Secretary, Home (C&E) Department, Government of West Bengal, on the basis of which the Home Secretary, Government CIRCULAR No. 7 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA of West Bengal again requested the respective Secretaries of concerned Departments as well as all District Magis­ This was in effect the first circular issued by Sri A.R. trates not to contemplate any change in the boundaries Nanda, the new Registrar General, which served as a of the Districts, Sub-Divisions, Police Stations, Villages, general introduction to the mammoth task ahead of us Munucipalities, Notified Areas, tOWllS, C.D. Blocks and and the framework in which we have to operate. It Gram Panchayats, etc., after 1st October, 1989 till 13th explained in a nutshell and in a businesslike fashion all June, 1991. However, despite all such directives and the important facets of the census operations and ex­ ~nstructions.' it was ultimately found that a few changes plained in particular the pivotal role to be played by the III b:>undal'les of Police Stations (by way of creation of Directors of Census Operations. It described the various new Police Stations) or of Wards of a MunicL phases of field operations together with the time·fram~ 96-M/P(1I)364RGI-2(a) 10

and also touched on post enumeration activities, in­ les by going from door to door. Accordingiy, th~ cluding tabulation. It summed up the preparatory Enumeration Block, constituting the jurisdiction of an steps that were already supposed to have been completed Enumerator, is the iowest unit, and as such the demar­ and indicated the further measures that needed to be cation of the same is an important step in building up taken urgently. In short it immediately conveye.d a the census hierarchy and organising the census-taking sense of the urgency and enormity of the entire ope~atl,:ms of an area. This circular issued from the office of the and thereby served to galvanise the census organisatIOn Registrar General formed the basis of the corresponding at the national level as well as at the State level. circular issued from the Directorate.

CrCRULAR No.8 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA CIRCULARS ISSUED BY ME REGARDING PKEPARATORY STEP

The above circulars gave an outline of the precise As regards the circulars and communications issued activiti'es to be undertaken and completed according to li'om our DirectOrate regarding preparatory steps, the a strict time schedule by way of taking preparatory [allowing may be mentioned, All the circulars were steps for organising and conduc~ing the 1991. Ce,nsus addressed to ali Disrricts Magistrates in the form of and allied operations. However, It was not until circu­ a D.O. letter with a copy to others. Circular No. 1 lar No. 8 was issued by the Registrar General that contained general instructions for the conduct of 1991 concrete steps were envisaged tbat would have imme­ Census Operations, wherein the significance of census diate consequence for initiating the preparatory steps. was explained along with the census set-up in the dis­ The subject matter of this circular, namely, the appoint­ trict, the role of the district administration in taking ment of Census Officers and the issue of notifications, the census, the different stages of census, the role of concerned an activity that was aimed at setting the ball Enumerators and Circle Supervisors, the importance of of organising census in motion. For in the Indian training and other connected issues. This was my first context it is chiefly the district administration which introductory communication to the District Magistrates organises the census with the help of its officers and and others who were connected with the census. It was staff as well as the municipal authorities. Once the followed by a number of other circulars covering each District Magistrates are notified as the Principal Census important aspect of census operations. Officers along with other officers in the census hie rarchy, things actually start moving in the distr.icts, if only wit.h Circular No. 2 dealt with the delimitation of census a bit of the necessary push from the Directorate. ThiS divisions and explained in detail the rationale and pro­ circular enjoined upon the Director to ensure that the cedure for the same. It also explained the organisation State Government issued necessary notifications appoint­ and personnel involved in census-taking. As an ing the Principal Census Officers along with notifications aid to the delimitation of an Enumeration Block, it also relating to other officers. appended a lay-out sketch of an Enumeration Block of Howrah Municipal Corporation together with the description of the Block, as worked out in course of CIRCULAR No. 9 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA actual exercises undertaken by the staff of the Directorate This circular, issued in September, 1989, related to the in delimiting census divisions in that city. preparation of District, Police Station, C.D. Block level maps to be included in the District Census Hand Books Circular No. 3 dealt with location Code and ex­ for the 1991 Census. This invo:ved activities which plained in detail both the purpose of the same and the would have to be carried on along with the preparatory system followed in assigning code numbers for various steps for the main census. levels of administrative units for which census data were intented to be collected.

CIRCULAR No. 10 OF REGISTRAR GENERAL, INDIA Circular No. 4 was on the subject of training of census personnel with special reference to Houselisting This circular, issued in September, 1989, concerned Operations. It emphasised the supreme importance the location Code, which is a simple device by which of training in making the cellSUS a success and outlined every area compr!sed in any. a~ministr~tive unit in the the scheme for training at various levels. It also touched State can be identified by asslgnll1g specific numbers for on the contents and methods of training for Enumerators different levels of administrative units. As such it and other allied issues. ~ contained a number of important instructions having a Circular No. 5 dealt with the formation of Non­ good deal of practical. significance. Our subs~ quent Military Special Charges for such areas as tea gardens, circular on the same subject was based on these ll1stru­ forest areas and railway colonies. It explained the ctions. implications of the formation of such charges, the system of numbering them, their relations with other census The above is an account of the circulars issued from divisions and the location code to be adopted for them the office of the Registrar General, India regarding pre­ paratory steps which had already been issued before I Circular No.6 exlplained the manner in which certain joitled. Another .important circular. regarding pre­ vital registers connected with the census operations paratory steps was Issu~d by th.at. o.ffice III !anuary, 1990, were to be maintained e.g., Charge Register, Issue that is shortly followmg my JoInmg. Circular No. 11 Register and Receipt Register of Forms, Supervisor's related to the formation of Enumeration Blocks and the Distribution Register of Forms, Training Register, preparation of the Abridged Houselist. The Enu­ . Register of Collection of Used and Unsued Forms, merator is the person who actually collects the census Houselist Abstract for Circle, Houselist Abstract (or data through the canvassing of census forms and schedu- Census Charge and Houselist Abstras;:t for Dis1ri<;tt . 11,

Circular No.7 and Circular N0. 8 d..:alt with Village represented by Sri S, Sinha, Joint Director in eharg Directory and Town Directory re<;rectively, which would of the Directorate. be needed for the compilation of the District Census Handbook, thourrh not related to the conduct of the As a preliminary for the 1991 Census, two pretests census operations as such. were held. The First Pretest of porposed census sched­ ules in the State of West Bengal was held during the These are the census circulars issued by me in con­ month of November-December, 1988. It was propo,ed nection with preparatory steps for the 1991 Census and to go through the full drill of census operations, namely, a few other continuing programmes. Form Circular housdisting, preparation of notional map, canvassing No. 9 onward\ however. the actual field operations of Honselist. Household Schedule and Individual Slip. were dealt '''lith and as such these will be referred to The idea was to take advantage of this pretest to make later on as and when the occasion arises. methodological studies regarding the responses from the respondents and the experiences of the enu­ Most of these circulars no doubt indicate the prepara­ merators. It was conducted in three phases, namely, tory steps to be taken at various levels in connection (a) House Numbering, (b) Houselisting and canvassing with the taking of the 199] Census. However, these of Enterprise Schedules and (c) canvassing of schedules were issued only a few months prior to the commence­ relating to household and population record and Indi­ ment of the HOllselisting Operations. and some of them vidual Slips in the 20 Enumeration Blecks selected in would possibly have been of greater utility had they the five continguous districts of Calcutta, Haora, Hugli, been issued a few months earlier. But such imme­ South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas. Of these diately relevant circulars Jl.~d instrllctions C()l1 be issued 13 Blocks were rural and 7, urban. The enumeration of only after the Director joints and tl1 kes ~tock of the the Pretest was conducted by the regular staff of the situation. Since r joined rather late. the flow of circulars Directorate. Sri Swapan Guha, Investigator super­ ~as also correspondingly delayed, although I lost little vised and co-ordinatcd the entire operation under the tIme in drafting them and issuing them once r acquired guidance of Sri A.K. Dutta, Deputy Director. Ade­ a grip over the sitl1ation. quate arrangements for training and publicity were made. The State Government offered necessary support and the However, some p~eparatory steps had already been local administration extended all possible assistance taken long before 1 joined of which two deserves special and co-operation. mention. Two Data User~' Conference had been held in connec~ion with the drawing up of the census schedule Some of the salient points of the pretest experience and questIOnnaire and two pretests with tentative census are as follows. The response from the respondents was schedules had also been held to help the finalisation of more or less satisfactory. The Enumerators, however, the schedules in the light of the results of the same. experienced certain difficulties with regard to certain This was of course a national exercise, although the aspects of census schedules as also some of the ancillary yiews or the experience of each State would be duly taken activities. There was no difficulty in comprehending or mto account. canvassing the Houselisting Schedules. However, it was The First Data Users' Conference was held in New felt that the space in between the lines in the schedules pelhi between Ar)ri! 18 and April, 20, 1988. It was was too narrow to leave enough room for correction of lllaugurated by Sri Buta Singh. Minister for Home an entry, if needed, and that as such it was advisable to Affairs, Government of India. In this converence the widen the said space by reducing the number of lines 1981 Censlls was reviewed and the strategy for the 1991 in a page. The Household Forms were also found Census was discllsseci in general. Various census to be operationally too large in size to carry and work on. schedules for the ensuring census such as Houselist A reduction in size and giving it a convenient shape Individual Slip and HomehoJd Schedule were als~ like that of a register with a fold in the middle would presented and discussed. The Census Commissioner make the form easier to handle during field operations. had drawn up a list of topics proposed It was also felt that if the 23 questions in the Household to be investigated in the Census of India, 1991, keeping Forms were arranged vertically instead of horizontally in view (l) the need of the country to be served by census across two pages, the handling of the form by the data, (2) achievement of the maximum degree of inter­ Enumerator would become more convenient and mana­ national comparability, both within and between regions, geable. It was again the experience of the Enumerators (3) t~e probable willingness and ability of respondents that the introduction of Household Forms in place of to give adequatl! datu information on the topics HouseholO Schedules and Individual Siips with these and (4) the total national resources available for the modifications would be operationally convenient and entire programme of enumeratior. processing, tabu­ and at the same time economise time and labour. As ~ation and publication. These topics were presented regards the Individual Slip, consideled as a requisite III the conference in the form of census questions and form, it was the common experience that the boxes and embodied in the said three census schedules. It was spaces between the questions as well as the letters of the decided to canvass the said schedules at the 1991 Census. questions themselves were rather small and not distinct getting them pretested before final adontiol1. It was enough. especially in the contest of the possible need to further decided to retain the usual system of the pre­ make corrections in entries. The inclusion of the two paration of notional map and lay-::mt sketch for the questions on ex-servicemen were also found to increase Enumeration Block by the Enumerators. The subject the workload unduly. As rergards housenumbering, it of conducting ancillary social studies was also disc'Jssed. was felt that 'Geru', the material used for numbering, In this conference Government of West Bengal was was not ideally svited for the purpose. It was also represented by Sri B. Bhattacharya, DelJuty Secretary, felt that the Notional Map was a superfluous Home (C & E) Department, while the Directorate was adjunct to the Lay-out Sketch and had better been 12

dispensed with. As rcg£ud5 the question On religion it Cens:..:o. Perpps because of the age of the numbering was felt that in rcgr.rd to the return of religion of Mo­ materials the impression left was not lasting or deed hammedans the abbreviatio:l to be used should be "1" enough, As regards Houselisting, the training of the (Islam) instead of "M" (Ivfuslim), becau'ie the members Enumerators not beins!:

operations as Enumerators and Supervisors. My entire and the letters written to the civic authorities of Cal­ energy and time were mostly taken up in sorting out cutta and Haora with copies to various officers in the the~e problems. In the process I h:ld to issue a number State Governments, the meetings held at the Writers' of letters to various agencies, which had inter alia the Building as well as the meetings held with the Mayor objective of creating the consciousness regarding the and other elected representatives as well as the Municipal census. However, specifically speaking, this aim was of Commissioners, Calcutta Municipal Corporatioiiand }Qught to be achieved with the help of my Circular No.1 Haora Municipal Corporation. CHAPTER·1ll PREPARATIONS FOR THE CENSUS INTIlODUCl ION

In the preceding chapter I have referred to the series and letters could possibly expcct to achieve. Thirdly, of preliminary steps taken to pave the way for the 1991 it enabled the Directors and other participants to inter­ Census. These included the exercises to evolve and act with one another on the one hand and with the finalise the census questionnaire through national level Registrar General and his Officers on the others. conferences and necessary experimentation in the field Fourthly, it offered to us an opportunity to listen to the on the one hand and the series of circulars and impor­ experts frC'D1 the Central Statistical Organisati -:]1 and the tant letters issued by the Office of the Registrar General National Sc. mple Survey Organisation on the concepts (ORGI) and the Census Directorate of this State 011 the underlying the Enterprise List and connected issues. other hand. Apart from these preparatory steps, some of which had been taken even before I joined, a definite push was given to the preparations for the 1991 AGENDA OF FIRST CONFERENCE Census by a few decisive and business like conferences at the national level as well as meetings at the State In the First Conference of Directors the following level, some of which took place alongside some of the agenda were discussed : (1) General Outlines of the steps described in the last chapter. Census Operations, (2) Houselisting Operations­ Preparatory and Organisational Arrangements, (3) In­ FIRST CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS structions to Enumerators for filling up Houselist and Enterprise List, (4) Setting up of Regional Offices, (5) The first such conference which practically gave a defi­ Other Items-Publicity and Miscellaneous. Part of the discussions related to elucidation and clarification of nite shape to the initiation of several preparatory steps conceptual issues relating to Houselist and Enterprise culminatin~ in the buiding up of the ~ensus organisation List that would be canvassed during the first phase of and the takmg of the 1991 Census With the aid of that organisation, was the first conference of the Directors of field operation in the 1991 Census. Another part related Census Operations, which was held in New Delhi from to the systematic exposition of the general outline of the November 6 to 9, 1989 to discuss the oraganisational census operations. Although these discussions were extremely useful in conveying a clear idea t.o the Directors matters relating to the 1991 Census. This was the first and other participants as to how to organise and conduct opportunity for many of the Directors to participate in a thorough discussion of the issues immediately the census operations, it can not perhaps be said that facing the Directorates in connection with the prepara­ many administrative decisions par excellence emerged tions for the census. This conference also gave in course of them. However, some of the important me my first opportunity to meet the Registrar General decisions or clarifications arrived at or communicated in the conference are narrated below with special refer­ and his colleagues as well as my counterparts in other States/Union Territories. As a matter of fact I was yet ence to the context of West BengaL to be appointed formally and participated as a Director designate, as mentioned in Chapter I. CONCLUSIONS AND DECISIONS

1he confere~ce was inaugurated by Sri J. A. Kalyana (I) In this inaugural address the Registrar General Krishnan, Umon Home Secretary, while Sri R. Srini­ emphasised that the priority items of preliminary work vasan, Ad?itional Secretary (Judicial), Ministry of were to finalise the list of villages and urban areas in Home Affairs was present in the inaugural session of the all States and Union Territories and the updating of conference. The State Directors of Bureaus of Economics maps at all levels-State, district, Police Station, town and Statistics also participated in the conference since and village. they would be associated with the third economic census. T~e jns~ructjons relating to the .filling in of the Enterprise (2) He also mentioned that the census operations were LIst which forms part of the thlrd economic census were carried out through the machinery of the State Govern­ also discussed in the conference. ment and the Director of Census Operations had a key role in coordinating this work. The First Conference of Directors served a number of purposes. [n the first place it exposed the newly appointed (3) It was proposed that the District Statistical Officers Directors .or Director-desig~ates thoroughly to many in all the States would be involved both in the House­ of the ?rucI~l concepts, techmques and practices of census listing as well as in the actual census operations. operatIos w~th. speCIal emphaSIS on the Housenumbering and Househstmg OperatIOns and the Economic Census (4) The urban frame must be finalised by December, which con~tituted the first phase of the field operations: 1989. Secondly, It helpe~ to thrash out many issues and pro­ (5) Although the work of census in the area of the blems connected WIth the preparatory operations which Calcutta and Haora Municiapl Corporations was looked no amount of verbal clarifications through circulars after by the census office and not by the Corporation, as 14 15 the latter had refused to do the census work, Registrar doubts raised by Supervisors and Enumerators in the General clarified that these Municipal Corporations training classes arranged for them. should be involved closely with the census work. A meeting should be fixed with the Chief Secretary for this (17) It was clarified that a sum of Rs. 10/- has to purpose in which the Registrar General would be willing be spent by Enumerators from out of the honorarium to participate and discuss the matter. for purchasing house-numbering material.

(6) The District Statistical Officer could be appointed (18) It was decided that the instruction booklet as Additional District Census Officer to enable the latter on Houselist would contain a sentence stating that the to supervi~e the Houselisting and, if necessary, the main dotted box provided in Col. 7 of the Houselist is for census Enumeration. coding in the office and should be left blank by the Enumerator. . (7) Despite problems of ~;ize, contiguity and identi­ fication, it should be attempted to adopt the UFS (19) As regards the enumera.tion of enterprises, it Blocks as far as possib~e, keeping the time constraints in was decided that the difinition laid down by the Central view. For UFS blocks should facilitate the carving out Statistical Organisation should be followed and the of the Houselisting Blocks as UFS Blocks provided some illustrations given in Annexe "J" of the booklet should frame. also provide guidelines.

(8) In carving Enumeration Blocks for houselisting (20) About nature of operation of enterprise (Peren­ the difference between rural and urban areas in respect nialor Seasonal), it was stressed that an exhaustive lis­ of the workload in filling the Enterprise List should be containing the names of perennial and seasonal enter­ kept in view as also the need to retain the same Enumera­ prises may be prepared (regionwise) and given to the tion Block for census (i.e. enumeration) also to the extent Enumerators for guidance. The CSO would prepare possible. this for Enumertors' lEe.

(9) It was clarified that Towns irrespective of popula­ (21) It was clarified that electricity received by a tion can have urban agglomerations. household from all sources, whether conventional or non-conventional, will come under the category of ele­ (10) The Boundaries of Standard Urban Areas (SUA) ctricity. A household which has electric wiring in the are to be kept constant as far as possible and only in house, whether authorised or unauthorised, and has the the case of statutory changes in the boundaries of towns facility of electricity will also be considered as having wbich may extend beyond SUA, the boundaries of SUA's electricity. A household with temporary disconnection of can be changed. The U A's extending beyond the boun­ electricity will also be treated as having electricity. daries of SUA may not be constituted. In some SUA's the rural and urban components have been merged with (22) It was clarified that there would be no houselisting a neighbouring municipal town. In some such cases in strictly military areas, but the defence offices situated owing to compelling circumstances it may be necessary in the civilian areas will be covered during Houselisting to change the boundaries of SUA's. and the defence enterprises will also be covered.

(11) The code for CD. Block should be given at the (23) It WaS pointed out that ad-hoc promotions will enumeration stage itself, as otherwise it will lead to delay have a cumulative effect and when the SIU comes in in tabulation. The location code for CD. Blocks shOUld 1992 there will be a backlash due to reversions. It was be given District-wise. therefore necesrary to do things in a proper and regular way so that there are no problems in the future. (12) It was agreed that Enumeration Blocks should be constituted for a population of 600 each in urban area (24) It was clarified that the subject of sanctioning and 750 each in rural areas. Deputy Director of Census Operations/Assistant Direc­ tor of Census Operations for census work in cities like (13) The SRS Blocks must correspond to the Enumera­ Calcutta should be taken up separately and not with tion Blocks and should be kept intact at the time of block R TO staffiing. formation. (25) It was mentioned that for regional offices vehicles (14) The printing of instruction booklets for House­ cannot be purchased, as it is only for a short period, but listing could be done locally by the Director of Census can be hired. Operations subject to the restriction of quotations and prices, etc. imposed by the Director of Printing and (26) Adequate publicity should be arranged for House­ also subject to certificate being obtained that the Gov­ listing too. The co-operation of AIR and Doordarshan ernment of India Presses are not in a position to do this could be obtained in this regard. Talks and programmes job in time. on census could be given on both Radio and Television by the Director. (15) The Nepali translation of the instructions would be done by the Director of Census Operations, West Bengal and sellt to the Printing Cell. CENSUS CA1.ENDAR FOR WEST BENGAL

(16) The Director of Census Operations should lay The gist of the census calendar for the State of great stress on training and should train the Charge West Bengal was like this, the Censm operations waul d Officers thoroughly so that the latter can clarify aU be conducted in two phases. ]n the first phese the 16

1Iousenumbering and Housclisting Operations along (3) The nr~o&al fo.r Jhe ppsts of Deputy j)irectors Qr with the third Economic Census (relating to the can­ Ce~sus Oper~tIOJ.ls9n deputation. should be sent :early BO vassing of the Entetprise List) would be conducted dur­ as. LO be receLV.ed by the OROI eIther from the DirectQrs ing a period of 32 days from 18-8-90 to 18-9-90. In o~ Census pp::rations or from the Chief Secretaries alQDg the second and firral stage actual counting or ·Enumera­ ":lt~ applIcation [{lrtUs duly filled in, C. R. dossiers ~d tion of individuals and households would be conducted vlgIlance c1eari.\nce by Mat;ch 3, 1990 so that the I1ropo· during a period of 20 days from 9th February to 28th sals may be sent to the UPSC by March 11, 1990. February, 1991 with the sunrise of 1st March, 1991 as the Reference Date. There would be a revisional round (4) It Was clarHi~!i that Regional Tabulation ·Officers from 1st M".:trch to '5th March, 1991 to update the data s~oltlp be _spr~d out in v

CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS (5) As regards the payment of T AIDA to the Epu­ _meraJors and Sqpervisors attending training classes The Second Conference of the Directors of Census it Wl\,S l\oterl that in the last census some State Govero~ Operations of 1991 Census was held in New Delhifrom ~ents .ha~ paid a fiat rate to the Enumerators and Sup6r­ February 5 to 8, 1990, thaLis, about three months later. Vlsors In heu of TA/DA for attending training classes. it was inaugurated by Sri R. Srinivasan, Additional It was decided that this may be left to the State Govern­ Secretary (Judicial), Ministry of Home Affairs. The ~n·ts in t~ 1991 Census too, .and the OROI,would first.conference had ,devoted most of its time to the dis­ reImbUrse whatever the:Sta~ Gpvernments de~ide to pay cussion on the concepts, procedures and organisational to the Enumerat()TSand :Supervisols towards T.A{p,A. aspects of the Houselisting Operations and the econo­ m.ic census, which were to take place between 1\pril and (6) For. enabling the Regional Deputy Dil.'ectors September, 1990. The second conference aimed at to organIse and supervise the fieldwork effectively discussing the progress of the various .preparatory work vehicles could be ·provided in two ways :-(a) State for the Houselisting Operations and the main census Government vehicles .could be availed. of by paying POL operations. charges, and (b) Private vehicles could be hired on a limited ba~is (for short periods) after obtaining nece­ ssary sanctIons. AGENDA OF SECOND CONFERENCE (7) As far as possible, Houselisting EnUlnrati_on The following items were on the agenda :- Blocks should be carved Qut in such a fashion that the (1) Review of preparatory work and arrangements sante Block yan be adQPted for the main Enumeration. for Houselisting Operations, (2) Setting up of A ~'()use~isting.Block. that is unmanageably large can be R~gional Offices and other administrative aspects, . spItt up mto two SUItable Enumeration Blocks, taking (3) Preparation of Abridged Houselist, (4) Instruc­ care to ensure that t)le Blocks are identifiable in the tions to Enumerators for the 1991 Census 'Enu­ field and do not overlap. meration, (5) Printing of SchedUles/Instructions and othermatters. (8) In case of merger of two Houselisting Blocks or p.arts of two HouseiistjJ)g Blocks to lllqke one Enumera­ tion Block, t~e Al?ridged HOQ.selist has to be carew:lly CONCLUSIONS AND DECISIONS prepared takmg mto account. the serial numpers ·of Compared to the first conference of 'Directors, the household in each of the Houselisting Blocks merged. number of important decisions arrived at in the second conference is but very small, although the progress of (9) Scheduled· Castes and Scheduled Tribes shQul.d.be preparation was reviewed in detail and the instructions enumerated strictly according to the list of Scheduled to Enumerators for the 1991 Census Enumeration as Castes and Scheduled Tribes applicable to the respective well as the preparation of the Abridged Houselist were States/Union Territories. discussed threadbare. The main decisions/clarifications tmerging from the conference are as fallows. ({) The (10) It was explained that Annexure 'J' in the House­ 'boundaries of .SUA's should be kept unchanged as far list instructions, which contains the list of enterprises as possible and if there are any changes, they should be should be more aptly called the list of activities. Since made in consultation with the Town and Country Plann­ "domestic service" figures in . Annexure 'J', it is likely jag. Organisation of the respective States. In the context that Enumerators may mistakenly treat domestic ser­ of the demand to change the boundaries of an SUA in yant~ as involed in an enterprise. However, it is enQ¥gh order to. cover the growing urban spread of the urban If it IS remembered that domestic service is not an, enter­ . agglomerations situated within the SUA, it was pointed prise as it is in fact an employment. For all praci\cal out that the SUA boundary should not be changed as purposes "domestic services" may be treat~d as deleted far as possible. However, in order to accommodate the from Annexure 'J'. It was also clarified that enterprises outgrowth of a town or the statutory merger of the which cannot be legally run may .also be brought under areas lying outside the boundary of SUA with the the purview of enterprise lists .. Porters. and coolies,will towns within the SUA, the SUA boundary could be also be treated as running enterprises provided that they changed to that extent. are not working for wages. (2) The Urban Frame Survey (UFS) Blocks should be (11) Directors of Census Operations should get the adQP,tell to the extent possible. urgent jobs included in mis(;cllane

Charge Registers, Circle Registers, Appointment letters peets of the census and the role of the district adminis and miscellaneous circulars, etc.) printed through the tration and other agencies were explained and the co­ Government of India Presses. operation of the District Magistrates and the Depart­ mental Secretaries were solicited in specific terms (12) It was agreed that instructions would be issued on Certain concrete decisions emerged in the meeting re· the basis of 1981 Census instructions dated 28-9-79 garding appomtment of District Census Officer, search for the delegation of powers for urgent printing. for accommodation for Regional Tabulation Offices, extending necessary help to the Director and the Regional (13) The practice of awarding census medals to honour Deputy Directors of Census Operations, etc. people who do outstanding work would be continued in the 1991 Census too. The second meeting which particularly concerned .the formidable problems of organising census in the metro­ (14) TIte collection of data required for Village politan city of Calcutta and the other Municipal .Cor­ ,'Directory and Town Directory should be completed poration of Haora, was held in the chamber of the Chief 'early to make for timely publication. Arrangements Secretary on 12-12-89 under the chairmanship of the 'should also be made to check percentage of these data Chief Secretary and in the presence of the Registrar So that their quality could be ensured. The Directors General, India. It was attended by the Municipal Commi­ should take up with the State Governments the matter of ssioners of Calutta and Haora, the Secretaries of some 'keeping the prices of the District Census Handbooks Departments which were expected to play an important at the minimum in the interest of making these books role in providing census personnel as, well as in other available at a reasonable price. ways (e.g., LG.U.D. Department, Education Depart­ ment, Health Department, etc.) and the District Magis­ (15) The Directors should arrange for publicity of trates of Haora and South Twenty Four Parganas. HouselistinglCensus according to the instructions Despite vehement opposition of the Municipal Com­ issued from the ORGI from time to time. This should missioners to get involved in census of the cities, the Chief cOver radio spot, newspaper advertisements, discussions Secretary practically imposed on them the responsibility and talks of Directors of Census Operations over All in principle and asked me to prepare a revised note in the India Radio and Doordarshan. Publicity measures light of which the matter was to be reviewed and placed would also be taken up centrally in consultation with "before the concerned Mayors for a favourable response. Fitms Division, DAVP, Directorate of Field Publieity, This was followed up by me in right earnest, a detailed All India Radio and Doordarshan. account of which will be given in a subsequent part of this Report dealing with the census of the two cities. In COurse of this pursuit I met the respective Municipal CONEFRENCES AND MEETINGS AT mE SrATE [fiVEL Commissioners and the respective Mayors of Cal­ cutta and Haora Municipal Corporations sevenll times It is true that it was the first two conferences of and also corresponded with them. I also met the',Con­ Directors held at the national level which went a lung troller of Civil Defence, Calcutta to enlist the co-opera­ way to give a fillip to the preparations for the 1991 'tion of his organisation. Besides these meetings I. also 'Census. But in order to initiate:thc multifarious" process held a number of training and co-ordination meetings of creating a consciousness about the census in, the with my own officers and staff as well as with the R(lgio­ various nodal agencies and officials of the State Govetn­ nal Deputy Directors and the District Census Officers 'ment as well as the District Magistrates and the civic as and whenthey joined. Shortly afterwards I attended authorities of Calcutta and Ha-ora, a number of1lleet­ meetings at the headquarters of all districts Which Luti­ tngs, formal or informal, had to be held at the'State-level Used to explain the need for and significance of census, too. As already mentioned in Chapter I, the first such difierent phases of census operations, the census hierarchy ''meeting was held on 11-12-89 in the Rotunda, Writers' ,and other organisational aspects and the concepts and Buildirtgs, Calcutta under the Chairmanship of the Chief techniques underlying Houselisting Operations and ,the Secretary with the District Magistrates,· Divisional third Economic Census. All these meetings were or­ Commissioners and the Secretaries of a few Depart­ ganised with specific aims and objectives in view, which ments whose close co-operation was needed to make the were more or less achieved in that these helped consi­ tensus a success. It was an introductory meeting where derably in building adose link between the Directorate on the significance of the census, the. different phases of the the one hand and the census agencies and authorities 1991 Census Operations, the crucial organisational as- at various levels on the other. CHAPTER-IV

BUILDING UP OF THE ORGANISATION

INTRODUCTION: THE CENSUS SET-UP

Census is said to be the most elaborate and massive Broadly speaking, this is the more or less traditiona administrative exercise, the accomplishment of which set up of the census machinery, which is built up gra­ would necessarily require a vast census machinery. dually through a process of issue of notifications and While most of the field functionaries are drawn from appointments, followed up by a carefully drawn up amongst School teachers, Government servants etc., programme of training, monitoring and co-ordinating who render voluntary services against a token honora­ under the aegis of the Directorate. For without a rium, the census network also comprises supervisory central link with the Directorate, enlivened by an occas­ and managerial functionaries to integrate and co-ordinate ional shot in the arms in the form of circulars, visits, the activities of the vast army of field functionaries who training meets, conferences and review meetings, etc., are actually engaged in collecting the census data through one should not expect the otherwise extremely busy canvassing census schedules from door to door. In officers in the district and elsewhere to earmark a pro­ order to impart cohesion and integrity to the spreading gressively large share of their time and energy to the network of census officials it is necessary to have a set more and more exacting and onerous task of organising of link bases at various levels through which the Census and conducting census with the requisite technical preci­ Directorate can effectively communicate to the func­ sion and alacrity. tionary at the farthest fringe. In other words an entire census hierarchy is built up elaborately, at the extreme THE ROLE OF THE DIRECTORA l'E end of which are voluntary census officials (albeit It is here where lies the crucial role of the organisation partially drawn from official sources), while the control­ at the centre of all census activities, namely, the Census ling and co-ordinating links upstream are provided by Directorate (as the main representative and instrumenb; various sets of officials from the district administration of the Registrar General, India and Census Commis­ as well as other agencies over which or with which the sioner). Despite the vast scale on which the census district authorities or the State Government have some operations are organised and the fairly consistent unity kind of control or link. The mainstay of this vast of the census tradition over more than a century, the . network is of course the District Magistrate, who is fact that the census is only a decennial exercise tends to designated as the Principal Census Officer for the render the administrative memory rather faded in district in question. He is assisted by a Deputy Magis­ regard to most of the technical and administrative trate, designated as the District Census Officer while one details, unlike in the case of elections, which are, so to Additional District Magistrate functions as the Ad· say, much more frequent. That is why the various ditional Principal Census Officer. The Sub-divisional authorities in the districts and elsewhere have to be Officers in charge of the civil administration of a sub­ initiated and briefed a new in the census concepts and division are declared as the Sub-divisional Census techniques as also in the various administrative devices Officers. The Block Development Officers, again, are connected with the conduct of census operations relating the Census Charge Officers for the Community Develop­ to drawal of funds and incurring expenditures, etc. It ment Block area, which constitutes a rural Census is here that the Census Directorate has to play a very Charge, although, strictly speaking, any Non-Municipal important role in serving as the repository of census Census Town situated in the CD Block is treated as a expertise and knowledge and skilful disseminator of the separate (Urban) Census Charge, for which the B.D.O. same. is no doubt appointed the Charge Officer. For other, Prior to the 1961 Census there used to be practically that is, statutory, urban areas like municipalities, etc., no permanent set up by way of a Census Directorate the Chairman or the Chief Executive Officer is appointed except for a skeleton arrangement. It is said that like the Town Census Officer, while either he himself or the proverbial Phoenix the Census Office rose rejuvena­ some other officer(s) may also be appointed the Charge ted from its predecessor's ashes at the approach of Officer(s) for the Census Charge(s) corresponding to the the next census, only to die again after accomplishing urban unit. For special areas like military or para­ its appointed task in course of its brief existence. Over military areas, railway colonies, port areas, tea gardens, the last three decades or so, however, the Census forests, etc., Special Census Charges are created and Directorate has gradually acquired a stable and prolific officers belonging to the concerned authorities are staff, thereby ensuring a easy continuity of the tradition appointed the Charge Officer in the interest of opera­ and style of census-taking by drawing upon accumulated tional convenience and in keeping with security restric­ expertise and knowledge. Towards the end of a decade, tions. For Calcutta Municipal Corporation and Haora when preparations for the next census are gradually Municipal Corporation, the respective Municipal Com­ built up, it is the permanent staff at various levels which missioners were appointed the Principal Census Officers, takes up the different preparatory activities. However, although the entire brunt of the burden had to be borne every census requires the creation and manning of by the staff of the Directorate under the overall guidance certain key posts, which may have to be discontinued of a l)eputy Director for the city c-ensus. shortly after the main operations are over. Thus the

18 to

organisation at the headquarters has also to be built There were various sectiollS in the Directorate where up by suitable additions to the core strength or the manifold day·to-day activities, not necessarily connected Directorate. Moreover, it is only when the new Direc· with the 1991 Census, were being carried on. The more tor joins. followed by the Regional Deputy Directors important of these sections were Administration, Finance and a host of other staff at variou~ levels, that the orga· and Accounts, Central Tabulation Unit, Sample Regi,· nisation becomes strengthened enough to undertake the tratiol1 System (SRS) Unit, Map Section, Direct Data onerous responsibilities of leading, organising or Entry (DDE) Unit, Social Studies Section, Printing conducting the census operations throughout the length Section, etc. I have already given a brief account of the and breadth of the State in active colaboration with the office and the hierarchy that I inherited at the time of my State Government, the district administration and other joining as the Director. agencies. The following is a brief account of how the organisation was built up at various levels. As on I- 12·89 the total sanctioned strength of sta if for the entire Directorate was 440. The Groupwise STRENGTH OF STAFF IN THE DIRECTORATE break-up of this strength is shown below together with the number of staff actually in position, Again, some When I joined in December, 1989, most of the 1991 of these posts were core posts, while others were 1981 Census posts had not yet been created. However, the Census posts or temporary posts, as also shown below-- Directorate had quite an impressive strength of staff.

SANCTIONED STAFF STRENGTH AND STAFF IN POSIlION AS ON 1-12-198')

Core T"mporary Filled Vacant (Long term)

Group 'A'

Director Joint Director Deputy Director 2 Assistant Director (T) 2 5 3 4 Assistant Director 5 7

.;. GrollI' '8'

Oillct Superintendent Investigator 2 14 12 4. Senior Geographer Senior Supervisor 4

3 19 15 7

Grollp '(" Head Assistant Assistanti Accountant 2 3 U.D.C. 5 8 LD.C. II 7 Stenographer Junior Stenographer Librarian Statistical Assistant 10 32 37 5 Com put or 40 23 60 3 Assistant Compiler 73 63 10 Staff Car Driver 20

Core Temporary Filled Va~nt (Long tetm)

Group 'C'--contd.

~estetnel' Operator Record Keeper Proof Reader 3 Senior Draftsman Draftsman 8 4 Hindi Translator Handpres5' Operator Senior Artist 2 :2 ."rtillt Printing lnspectol Geographer Jl.lllior Supervisor 12 7 5 Operatur 72 51 21

158 154 256 56

Group'D' Loader 8 7 Peon 28 32 58 2 Duftry 4 4

Darwall!Chowkidar 5 12 13 4 Sweeper 4 3

------~-<-~-~--~-~-" ------._--- "------TOTAL 207 233 363 77

------~------_--- --_._ ------

Subsequent to my joining on 1-1~-89 a nu~ber _of 406 posts had been filled up while 253 posts were lying posts at various levels were created m connectIOn. With vacant. the 1991 Census. Some of the posts were created m the main Directorate Office at headquarters, while others The following table seeks to present a summary were created for the different Regional Tabulation Offices account of the posts created before 1-12-89 and the posts (R.T.Os) or the Editing and Coding (E & C) Cell

______~n~ ___ ... -~,-. "--_.. ----~----- _._. --_ Category Posts Posts created between Filled up Vacant Total Posts created after created 1-12-89 and 30-6-92 posts posts posts 1-12-89 for Calcutta and before (excluding posts for (2+3+4 Haora r-----_ .. __..l ••• ___ . ___, 1-12-89 .-____Calcutta and..A- ____ Haora) --, ,=5+6) Caloutta Haont Main R.T.O.!E.C. Directorate Cdl _._------. :2 3 .:\ 5 6 7 8 9

-----~ Group 'A' 12 12 17 7 24 Group 'B' " 4 16 33 9 42 Group 'C' 312 50 124 276 208 484 88 33 Group '0' 94 16 80 30 110 3 ------Total 440 54 166 406 254 660 90 37 ------~------'fhe d.tails of the posts created after 1-12-89 are furnished below in another table. 21

DETAILS OF POSTS SANCTIONED AFTER 1-12-89 FOR 1991 CENSUS

Main Directorate R.T.O./E.C. Cell Calcutta Haora

Group 'A' Deputy Director 12 Assitant Director

12

Group 'B' Investigator 3 16 Senior Drawing Assistant

4 16

Group 'C Head Clerk Assistant 12 U.D.C. 12 L.D.C. 30 4 2 Hindi Typist Junior Stenograph(!r :2 12 Senior Hindi Translator Staff Car Drher 1 Statistical Assistant 7 4R {> 3 Computor 24 7 4 Draftsman :2 2 Geographer 1 Artist 3 Printing Inspector Junior Accounts Officer STA (Ptg.) Senior Artist Charge Assistant 68 22 ,,__~-~---.------~--~----