The periodic count of the population
of a country is called census.
Excepting the occasions of national
emergency or a widespread natural calamity in a country census is conducted
every ten years. Irrespective of the size of a country or of the form of its
government, a census is a regular task undertaken by every country at regular
intervals of ten years. Census has a very great national importance as it
couples and records very valuable information about a land and its people at a
given point of time.
Certain well-defined purposes govern
enforcement of census. It graphically registers the trends in the population of
a country—whether the population is increasing or decreasing. It records the
detailed number wise proportion of men and women, young and old citizens of a
country. It clearly shows the trends in the rates of birth and death and the
net increase or decrease in population.
The objectives of a census are much
more than simple covering the traits of a population. An efficient civic
administration becomes possible only when the wide ranges of facts revealed by
the census are minutely considered and their implications accurately realized.
A census is essential for implementation of effective economic planning. A
census, for example, discloses the existence of the different types of
households in the country.—normal, institutional or houseless. It shows the
typical industries,—large-scale or cottage industries. The census also
furnishes a classified list of the vocations of the people as well as a similar
list of their economic activities. Above all, a census provides accurate
information about the employed and the unemployed, the illiterate and the
literate of a country. All these records of information are absolutely
indispensable for the planners, businessmen and entrepreneurs.
