Preparations have started for the Population Census 2011 with the formal notification of the government's intent to conduct the census with March 1, 2011 as the reference date.

Ajay Maken, minister of state in the home ministry, stated this in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

The census operations are conducted in two phases. The first phase, 'houselisting & housing census', precedes the population enumeration by about eight-nine months. The main purpose of the houselisting operations is to prepare the frame for undertaking population enumeration, besides providing host of data on housing stock, amenities and the assets available with each of the household. The houselisting & housing census would be conducted from April to September 2010. The time schedule in each state is being notified.

In the second phase of 'population enumeration', data on various socio-economic and demographic parameters like age, sex, literacy, religion, languages known, economic activity status and migration etc. is collected for every individual. Population enumeration will be conducted during February-March 2011.

As has been the practice during the past censuses, a full dress rehearsal, called 'pre-test of the census', was conducted during June 28-August 05, 2009 in 1,181 enumeration blocks across the country. Based on the feedback of the pre-test, the questions to be canvassed during houselisting & housing census in 2010 have been finalised by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The government has approved the final set of questions. The questions to be canvassed during the population enumeration will be finalised by the TAC in their next meeting.

Representation/request for conducting caste-based census has been received from the West Bengal government, AIOBC, OFT, OBC Employee’s Welfare Association, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Most Backward Class Officers and Employees Association (AMBCOE), Patna, National Social Justice Forum (Haryana Unit), Rewari, and All India Other Backward Classes Employees in Indian Ordinance & Ordnance Equipment Factories Welfare Association, Tiruchirappalli, among others.