UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ‘Census Town’ definition is outdated: Ministry to panel

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the distinction between a Statutory Town and a Census Town in the Census of India: 1. A Statutory Town, unlike a Census Town, is one that has a notified civic body such as a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee. 2. The three-fold criteria now used to identify Census Towns were introduced for the first time in the 1991 Census, replacing those used in 1961. 3. A Census Town, unlike a Statutory Town, must simultaneously satisfy thresholds of population size, population density and share of male main workers in non-agricultural pursuits. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A Statutory Town, unlike a Census Town, is one that has a notified civic body such as a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee.
  2. The three-fold criteria now used to identify Census Towns were introduced for the first time in the 1991 Census, replacing those used in 1961.
  3. A Census Town, unlike a Statutory Town, must simultaneously satisfy thresholds of population size, population density and share of male main workers in non-agricultural pursuits.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. For a village to be classified as a Census Town by the Census of India, how much of its working population must be engaged in non-agricultural pursuits?

  • A. At least 75 per cent of the male main working population
  • B. At least 50 per cent of the male main working population
  • C. At least 60 per cent of the total main working population
  • D. At least 80 per cent of the male marginal working population

Q3. The classification of settlements as Census Towns and their compilation into Urban Agglomerations is carried out by which one of the following?

  • A. Town and Country Planning Organisation, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • B. National Statistical Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India
  • D. National Institute of Urban Affairs, an autonomous body under the Government of India

Q4. Under Census of India concepts, an Out Growth is recognised only when the unit adjoins a core settlement of a particular kind. Which one of the following serves as that core?

  • A. A district headquarters, irrespective of its civic status
  • B. A statutory town such as a municipality or cantonment board
  • C. A census town identified in the previous decennial Census
  • D. A Class I city with a population of one lakh and above

Q5. Consider the following statements about the number of towns recorded in the 2001 and 2011 Censuses: 1. The number of Census Towns rose from 1,362 in 2001 to 3,784 in 2011. 2. The number of Statutory Towns rose from 3,799 in 2001 to 4,041 in 2011. 3. In the 2001 Census, Census Towns outnumbered Statutory Towns. 4. The 1,362 Census Towns of the 2001 Census were places treated as villages in 1991 and reclassified using Census 1991 information. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The number of Census Towns rose from 1,362 in 2001 to 3,784 in 2011.
  2. The number of Statutory Towns rose from 3,799 in 2001 to 4,041 in 2011.
  3. In the 2001 Census, Census Towns outnumbered Statutory Towns.
  4. The 1,362 Census Towns of the 2001 Census were places treated as villages in 1991 and reclassified using Census 1991 information.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q6. The increase in India's total number of towns between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses was accounted for overwhelmingly by which one of the following?

  • A. Newly notified statutory towns created by State governments
  • B. Out Growths upgraded into independent towns by the Census organisation
  • C. Villages newly identified as Census Towns
  • D. Cantonment boards newly brought within the Census urban frame

Q7. Consider the following statements about how different Census urban units are administered: 1. A Census Town continues to be administered by a rural local body such as a gram panchayat. 2. A Statutory Town is administered by an urban local body constituted under the municipal law of the State concerned. 3. A cantonment board area is treated as a Statutory Town for purposes of Census classification. 4. A settlement identified as a Census Town must have a Nagar Panchayat constituted for it within five years of such identification. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. A Census Town continues to be administered by a rural local body such as a gram panchayat.
  2. A Statutory Town is administered by an urban local body constituted under the municipal law of the State concerned.
  3. A cantonment board area is treated as a Statutory Town for purposes of Census classification.
  4. A settlement identified as a Census Town must have a Nagar Panchayat constituted for it within five years of such identification.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q8. Consider the following statements comparing Census Towns with Statutory Towns in terms of governance: 1. Once a settlement is classified as a Census Town, it ceases to form part of a gram panchayat and is governed by a Nagar Panchayat from the following Census. 2. Census Towns are governed by bodies constituted under Part IX of the Constitution, whereas Statutory Towns are governed by bodies constituted under Part IXA. 3. The Union Government has asked States to convert areas identified as Census Towns into statutory Urban Local Bodies. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Once a settlement is classified as a Census Town, it ceases to form part of a gram panchayat and is governed by a Nagar Panchayat from the following Census.
  2. Census Towns are governed by bodies constituted under Part IX of the Constitution, whereas Statutory Towns are governed by bodies constituted under Part IXA.
  3. The Union Government has asked States to convert areas identified as Census Towns into statutory Urban Local Bodies.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, deposing in 2026 before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs on the draft report 'Census Criteria for Defining Urban Areas', argued that the criteria for identifying Census Towns have remained unchanged since which Census?

  • A. The Census of 1951
  • B. The Census of 1961
  • C. The Census of 1971
  • D. The Census of 1991

Q10. Consider the following statements regarding Census 2027: 1. The reference date for Census 2027 is 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027 for most of the country. 2. Phase I, the House Listing and Housing Census, is scheduled over April to September 2026. 3. The Registrar General of India has decided to revise the criteria for classifying urban areas for Census 2027. 4. The Census 2027 frame, as on 1 January 2026, covers 5,128 Statutory Towns and 4,580 Census Towns. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The reference date for Census 2027 is 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027 for most of the country.
  2. Phase I, the House Listing and Housing Census, is scheduled over April to September 2026.
  3. The Registrar General of India has decided to revise the criteria for classifying urban areas for Census 2027.
  4. The Census 2027 frame, as on 1 January 2026, covers 5,128 Statutory Towns and 4,580 Census Towns.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q11. Consider the following statements about estimates of India's level of urbanisation: 1. The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister has estimated, using satellite data, that India's urbanisation could be as high as about 63 per cent. 2. The 2011 Census placed India's urban population at 37.7 crore, or 31.2 per cent of the total population. 3. The satellite-data-based urbanisation estimate of about 63 per cent was generated by the Registrar General of India as part of the Census 2011 tabulation. 4. The 2011 Census placed India's rural population at 83.3 crore, or 68.8 per cent of the total population. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister has estimated, using satellite data, that India's urbanisation could be as high as about 63 per cent.
  2. The 2011 Census placed India's urban population at 37.7 crore, or 31.2 per cent of the total population.
  3. The satellite-data-based urbanisation estimate of about 63 per cent was generated by the Registrar General of India as part of the Census 2011 tabulation.
  4. The 2011 Census placed India's rural population at 83.3 crore, or 68.8 per cent of the total population.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q12. The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992 provides for the constitution of how many types of Municipalities?

  • A. Two — Municipal Council and Municipal Corporation
  • B. Three — Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council and Municipal Corporation
  • C. Four — Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, Municipal Corporation and Cantonment Board
  • D. Five — the four above along with the Notified Area Committee