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| Census evaluators no fudged figures please | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 31: When the exercise on the next census starts from tomorrow Jammu and Kashmir will be watched from all corners and quarters as far as the population evaluation is concerned.It is so because the 2001 census figures have generated a lot of misgivings and criticism among the political and academic circles.In fact the population growth shown in the census has been doubted by the experts.One instance is sufficient to substantiate the charge.Between 1990 and 2000 the Kashmir valley had been rocked and rattled by militancy related violence in which not less than 40,000 people were killed and over 20,000 people,especially from the border district of Kupwara had crossed over the Pakistan occupied Kashmir,some of them for evading arrest by the security forces and others for undergoing arms training in the camps.
Despite this the 2001 Census figures have revealed that the total population in the Kashmir valley was over 54.76 lakhs and in the Jammu region it was over 44.30 lakhs.Medical experts and psychologists have found that whenever and whereever there is violence and bloodshed it affects the annual population growth.But the evaluators in Jammu and Kashmir had challenged this view by showing bigger population growth in the highly disturbed Kashmir valley than in otherwise peaceful Jammu region.
Working chairman Panthers Party,Harsh Dev Singh,said that one could not but doubt the findings of the census evaluators when in the report it had been shown that Kupwara district registered the highest population growth between 1990-2000.Number of prominent political leaders,including Harsh,are of the opinion that the fudged figures in the census report usually cast their shadow on the development of regions and districts.
There are many innovations in the census preparing exercise.Before the headcount starts the work will begin with house-listing exercise.This will help the evaluators to prepare country's first comprehensive identity database that will enable the Unique Identification Authority issue unique ID numbers.The exercise will cover collection of information about the number of mobile phones.This exercise is not very important for the people in Jammu and Kashmir.
As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned it needs correct information,exact figures so that there is no adverse impact whenever the exercise of delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies is carried out.Hitherto figures have been allegedly fudged so that the Kashmir valley received more funds for development activities,more jobs,more Assembly constituencies than in the Jammu region.
Harsh Dev wanted the evaluators to be accurate and while carrying out headcount they should visit each household.He said during the last exercise the evaluators had not visited various areas in the border belt of north Kashmir because of disturbed security scenario and the result was the figures on population growth were fudged.
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