Census begins in districts

KOCHI: The enumeration for the  Economic and Caste Census in the Ernakulam district began on Tuesday at Vellarath in Kuttampuzha panchayat.Speaking at inauguration of the enumeration, Kothamangalam MLA T U Kuruvilla said that  lack of adequate information on the beneficiary groups was vital for the implementation of welfare schemes.Reiterating the point, Collector P I Sheikh Pareeth said that lot of important schemes were getting delayed owing to the identification of the target groups. “By the time we identify the target groups , we find that the scheme is not fit for the target group. If we have concrete information about the population, these delays can be avoided. So I request all persons to cooperate with the enumeration”, said the District Collector.“There are a total of 53 categories under Scheduled Castes and 23 under the Scheduled Tribes. These will be our focus since it involves the outlay of a lot of developmental funds.  The exercise will be on a voluntary basis. Persons who do not want to disclose their caste have an option to refuse”, said  District Census Officer N Vinodini. The census is being carried out on the basis of the information received in the previous enumerations carried out last year and the year before. After the enumeration, a draft list with all the information except for the caste will be put up at the ward level.Persons with any issues can file complaints and after the necessary corrections a final list will be published.The census will be have different set of questions for rural and urban residents. The census is being jointly undertaken by the Union Rural Development Ministry, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, National, Registrar General of India, Bharath Electronics and the National Informatics Centre.