Registrar General of India – UPSC Prelims

The Census Organisation was set up on an ad-hoc basis for each Census till the 1951 Census.

The Government of India, in 1949 established an organisation in the Ministry of Home Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India to develop systematic collection of statistics on the size of population, its growth, etc.

Later, this office was also entrusted with the responsibility of implementation of Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 in the country.

It arranges, conducts and analyses the results of the demographic surveys of India including Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India.

The position of Registrar is usually held by a civil servant holding the rank of Joint Secretary.

Apart from conducting the Population Census and monitoring the implementation of the Registration of Births and Deaths in the country, it has been giving estimates on fertility and mortality using the Sample Registration System (SRS).

SRS is the largest demographic sample survey in the country that among other indicators provide direct estimates of maternal mortality through a nationally representative sample.

It provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.

The decennial Census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011.

While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881.

Post-1949, it has been conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

The primary objective of the present Linguistic Survey of India is to present an updated linguistic scenario.

It is conducted along with the decennial Census exercise.

It also provides necessary inputs to the social/educational planners in respective States for their planning to attain the envisaged goals.

First linguistic survey of India was published by George Abraham Grierson in 1928.