Postponing India’s census is terrible for the country
But it may suit Narendra Modi just fine
Three years ago India’s government was scheduled to pose its citizens a long list of basic but important questions. How many people live in your house? What is it made of? Do you have a toilet? A car? An internet connection? The answers would refresh data from the country’s previous census in 2011, which, given India’s rapid development, were wildly out of date. Because of India’s covid-19 lockdown, however, the questions were never asked.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “An area of darkness”
From the January 7th 2023 edition
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