India to get digital census by 2024: Amit Shah 

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the upcoming census in the country would be digitised and completed by 2024. 

With the electronic process, the census would be updated automatically after every birth and death in the country, he said on Monday while inaugurating the new office building of the Directorate of Census Operations in Assam's Kamrup district.

Emphasising its importance, the union minister said that the digital census would shape the "policies of the country of the next 25 years", NDTV reported.

He said, "As soon as the outbreak of corona comes down, the process of the digital census would start across the country. The digital census will be completed before 2024."

According to the minister, about 50 percent of the population would be able to feed their data themselves once the mobile application is downloaded on their phones.

The 2021 census was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amit Shah that after birth, the details would be registered in the census records, and after he or she turns 18, the record would be enlisted in the electoral rolls. After death the name would be removed while updating a change in address and other basic information would become smoother and easier.

The minister further said efforts would be made to ensure the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from entire Assam. Shah said improved law and order and peace accords with militant outfits had led to the partial withdrawal of AFSPA, which gave immunity to the military from any punitive action, in the northeastern state.

He said "day is not far when the entire state will be completely free from insurgency and violence".

"In the 1990s, AFSPA was implemented in Assam. It was extended seven times. After eight years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, the Act was removed from 23 districts, and partially from one district. I am confident that it will be completely withdrawn from the entire state soon," he added. 

Shah was on a two-day visit to Assam.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah awarded the Assam Police with the President's Colour in the presence of Sarma and director general of police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta at the 'Alankaran Parade' ceremony in the state capital.

Speaking about the Assam Police, Shah said the force had a glorious history and had successfully tackled insurgency, border issues, smuggling of arms, drugs and cattle, rhino poaching and social issues like witchcraft.

He said it rightly deserved to be honoured with the President's Colour.

Accompanied by Indian Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, he inspected the India-Bangladesh border situation from an observation post in the Mankachar sector of Assam on Monday.