<h1>India's Census Delay: Opposition Demands Immediate Population and Caste Count After Unprecedented Postponement</h1> The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha urged the government to immediately commence both the decadal census and caste census, noting that India has conducted censuses every 10 years since 1881, even during wars and emergencies. The official highlighted that the current delay is unprecedented and is causing many citizens to be excluded from welfare schemes. The opposition leader emphasized that census data is crucial for numerous welfare programs and surveys, including the National Family Health Survey and National Food Security Act. The official pointed out that only Rs 575 crore has been allocated for the census in this year's budget, suggesting reluctance to conduct it despite 81% of countries worldwide completing censuses despite COVID-19.