UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India flags off six Census Awareness LED Mobile Vans in Delhi
Q1. Under the Census Act, 1948, the decennial Census of India is operationally conducted by which one of the following?
- A. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
- B. National Statistical Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- C. Central Statistics Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- D. Office of the Director of Census Operations, under NITI Aayog
Q2. With reference to the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, consider the following statements:
1. Every person of whom a question is asked by a Census officer is legally bound to answer it to the best of his knowledge or belief.
2. A woman is not bound to state to a Census officer the name of her husband or deceased husband.
3. Records of the Census are admissible as evidence in civil and criminal proceedings, provided the prior sanction of the Registrar General is obtained.
4. The sole punishment prescribed under the Act for refusing to answer a Census officer is imprisonment, with no provision for a monetary fine.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Every person of whom a question is asked by a Census officer is legally bound to answer it to the best of his knowledge or belief.
- A woman is not bound to state to a Census officer the name of her husband or deceased husband.
- Records of the Census are admissible as evidence in civil and criminal proceedings, provided the prior sanction of the Registrar General is obtained.
- The sole punishment prescribed under the Act for refusing to answer a Census officer is imprisonment, with no provision for a monetary fine.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 3 only
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 2, 3 and 4 only
Q3. How many Directorates of Census Operations function under the headquarters of the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India?
Q4. With reference to the National Population Register (NPR) in India, which one of the following statements best describes it?
- A. A register of usual residents of the country prepared under the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Rules framed thereunder
- B. A register of Indian citizens prepared under the Representation of the People Act, 1950
- C. A register of births and deaths maintained under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
- D. A register of below-poverty-line households prepared by the Ministry of Rural Development
Q5. With reference to Census 2027, the decision to include enumeration of castes was taken by which one of the following?
- A. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
- B. National Commission for Backward Classes
- C. NITI Aayog Governing Council
- D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Q6. With reference to Census 2027 as compared to previous Censuses of India, consider the following statements:
1. It is India's first Census in which a Self-Enumeration facility, available for a 15-day window preceding the field enumeration, has been introduced.
2. The Houselisting and Housing Operations (HLO) phase is scheduled between April and September 2026, while Population Enumeration is scheduled for February 2027.
3. The reference date of 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027 has been notified uniformly for the entire country, including the snow-bound areas of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It is India's first Census in which a Self-Enumeration facility, available for a 15-day window preceding the field enumeration, has been introduced.
- The Houselisting and Housing Operations (HLO) phase is scheduled between April and September 2026, while Population Enumeration is scheduled for February 2027.
- The reference date of 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027 has been notified uniformly for the entire country, including the snow-bound areas of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q7. The Self-Enumeration facility introduced for Census 2027, along with the entire census operation, derives its statutory authority from which one of the following?
- A. The Collection of Statistics Act, 2008
- B. The Census Act, 1948
- C. The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
- D. The Information Technology Act, 2000
Q8. Census 2027 will be distinctive as which one of the following in the history of Indian Census operations?
- A. The first synchronous Census ever conducted in India
- B. The first Census to be conducted under the Census Act, 1948
- C. The first Census to permit digital data collection through a mobile app and a Self-Enumeration facility
- D. The first Census after Independence to be conducted on a caste-enumeration basis only
Q9. With reference to the conduct of the Census in India since 1872, the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India functions under which one of the following Ministries of the Government of India?
- A. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- B. Ministry of Home Affairs
- C. Ministry of Planning
- D. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Q10. Consider the following provisions of the Constitution of India: Article 81, Article 82, Article 170, Article 330 and Article 332. How many of these provisions require allocation, readjustment or reservation of seats to be made on a basis that is determined by reference to population figures ascertained at the latest preceding census?
- A. Only two
- B. Only three
- C. Only four
- D. All five
Q11. Under the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, what is the minimum period of residence (or intended residence) in a local area that qualifies a person as a 'usual resident' for inclusion in the National Population Register?
- A. 3 months
- B. 6 months
- C. 12 months
- D. 24 months
Q12. Which one of the following constitutes the principal statutory basis for the preparation and updation of the National Population Register (NPR) in India?
- A. The Census Act, 1948
- B. The Citizenship Act, 1955 read with the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003
- C. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016
- D. The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
Q13. Which one of the following was the last Census of India in which caste-wise data of all communities (not merely Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) was collected, tabulated and published in detail?
- A. 1921 Census
- B. 1931 Census
- C. 1941 Census
- D. 1951 Census
Q14. With reference to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 and the proposed caste enumeration in Census 2027, consider the following statements:
1. SECC 2011 was conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, whereas Census 2027 is being conducted by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India.
2. Unlike SECC 2011, caste-wise data in Census 2027 will be captured during the Houselisting and Housing Operation phase of the Census.
3. The decision to include caste enumeration in Census 2027 was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- SECC 2011 was conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, whereas Census 2027 is being conducted by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India.
- Unlike SECC 2011, caste-wise data in Census 2027 will be captured during the Houselisting and Housing Operation phase of the Census.
- The decision to include caste enumeration in Census 2027 was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3