This comes amid protests against NPR, which Kerala and West Bengal have refused to implement.
The Registrar General of India (RGI), which conducts the enumeration exercise for census and updation of the National Population Register (NPR), has asked 21 government departments to ask people to cooperate with data enumerators when they approach every house starting April 1, The Economic Times has reported.
RGI has reportedly written to departments, including the health ministry, Indian Railways and states’ publicity wings, asking them to reach out to masses and impress upon them that the exercise will help improve delivery of social welfare schemes.
According to the newspaper report, RGI has written to the Health, and the Women and Child Development Ministry to inform accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and Anganwadi workers to “know and educate” the masses on how the census and NPR will “empower the poor”.
Besides government departments, RGI is also trying to enlist about 50 celebrities, including actors, singers, spiritual leaders, army personnel and sportspersons, to reach out to people, the report suggests.
This comes amid protests against NPR. Kerala and West Bengal have refused to implement NPR.
Besides, public messaging services of All India Radio (AIR), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Indian Railways, sarpanches of villages (village heads) have also been contacted and directed to inform every household about the exercise.
The whole idea behind the awareness drive is to present the census and NPR as a “usual administrative” process that has been done before, the report adds.Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro's Annual plan for Rs 399/- for the first year. Use coupon PRO2020 (Available on Web & Android only).
