<h1>Congress Criticizes Govt for Delaying 2021 Census, Impacting Social Policies and Food Security Entitlements</h1> The Congress party criticized the Indian government for delaying the decadal Census, which was due in 2021 but remains uncompleted. This delay is impacting social policies, including reservations for scheduled castes and tribes and food security entitlements. The Congress highlighted that the Finance Minister's budget speech failed to allocate funds for the Census. The absence of updated Census data affects administrative capabilities, leaving millions excluded from food security programs. Additionally, the delay hinders the potential for a socio-economic caste census. This marks the first instance since Independence where the Census has not been conducted on time.