ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Mehar Singh GillSubscribe to Mehar Singh Gill

Demographic Dynamism of Punjab, 1971–2011

Three aspects of population—vital rates, population growth, and population composition—have played a key role in the demographic dynamism of Punjab since 1971. Population mobility shows a distinct pattern: outmigration and emigration from the state, and a simultaneous inflow of labour, chiefly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, leading to notable rise in Scheduled Caste population, and also a moderate increase in the share of Hindu and Muslim population.

Politics of Population Census Data in India

Though the census count of human population seems to be an apolitical affair, yet it is invariably coloured by political overtones of various hues. Accordingly, both the detail and the quality of population data carry an overt as well as covert imprint of political considerations. Thus, for a proper comprehension of population patterns, both social and spatial, it is imperative to understand the politics of collection of such data. This paper attempts to understand mainly the following aspects of politics of population census data in India: (i) categorisation of census materials; (ii) changes in census categories over time; and (iii) changes in details of data by caste and religion.

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