|
|
Patna,(BiharTimes): The comprehensive caste census is expected to take off in Bihar in coming December. Called as Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) this is the first such census to take place after 1931. In the general census held every 10 years, only religious groups as well as SCs and STs are counted.
|
The Census will simultaneously identify households living below poverty line (BPL). The fresh BPL survey is being carried out to remove the shortcomings in the BPL survey held in 2002.
According to rural development minister Nitish Mishra the state government wanted to begin the process from January next but the Centre insisted on starting it from December.
The Census is being done by the Union ministry of rural development, to be conducted simultaneously in rural and urban areas.
He said that Bihar is gearing up to start the gigantic exercise and a few officials were sent to Hyderabad for training. Some more officials would also go there who, after training, would work as master trainers and sensitize other staff.
Now primary school teachers are not supposed to be involved in census work as Right to Education Act forbids hiring of school teachers for this purpose.
The SECC would be a paperless exercise. It would be done on a hand-held electronic device, tablet PC, which has been developed by the Bharat Electronic Development Corporation and will drastically reduce data entry errors and enumerator discretion. Almost all the information will be made public. Centre has agreed to provide us 50,000 hand-held tablet PCs to conduct the survey, though the actual requirement will be more
B K Sinha, Secretary in the Union ministry of rural development, has assured that the Centre would provide equipment and machines to states but they would have to take responsibility of their deployment and administrative discipline.
comments...
| 
