New Delhi: Census 2027 will not separately record data on begging, marking a departure from previous census exercises. The questionnaire has omitted the category ‘beggars and vagrants etc’ from the list of ‘non-economic activity’.
The decision was taken due to the very low return under this category in the last census, when around 3.8 lakh non-workers and marginal workers identified themselves as ‘beggars and vagrants’ in Census 2011, Times of India reported, citing sources.
In the 2011 Census and earlier exercises, ‘beggars and vagrants etc’ were listed among marginal and non-workers engaged in ‘non-economic activity’, alongside students, those engaged in household duties, dependents, pensioners, rentiers and others. Under Census 2027, they will be included under ‘others’.
As a result, the number of beggars in the country, along with their classification by age, religion, state/UT and educational status, will no longer feature in Census tables.
Reportedly, the ‘beggars and vagrants’ figures from previous census exercises were not considered reliable, as many respondents were reluctant to identify themselves as such due to the social stigma associated with the category. The number of non-worker beggars and vagrants was recorded at around 3.8 lakh in Census 2011, 6.3 lakh in 2001 and around 5.4 lakh in 1991.
Another significant change in Census 2027 is the inclusion of ‘natural calamities’ as a new ‘reason for migration’. It has been added to the existing categories of work, business, education, marriage, moved after birth, moved with household and ‘any other’.
