PM Modi asserted next census will be most remarkable digitalised census of the country: NITI Aayog

New Delhi [India], February 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the next census will be the first and most remarkable digitalised census of the country, said NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Saturday.
"The PM pointed out that the next census will be first and most remarkable digitalised census of the country. This is where India will set up an example for other countries. 2021 census will be fully digitised and will create a digital system," Kumar said at a press conference here.
Announcing India's first-ever digital census, Nirmala Sitharaman, who presented the Union Budget 2021-22 in Parliament, had said the forthcoming census -- an exercise to determine the population of the country -- would be the first digital census in the history of India.
"For this monumental milestone task, I have allocated Rs 3,768 crore for Financial Year 2021," Nirmala Sitharaman said while presenting the paperless budget.
According to a NITI Aayog release, the Prime Minister said that several concerted steps have been taken to empower the poor and bring about a noticeable change in their lives.
"Since 2014, more than 2.40 crore houses have been constructed in both cities and villages. Similarly, over 3.5 lakh rural houses have been provided with piped drinking water within 18 months of the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission," the release said.
Prime Minister Modi added that the Bharat Net Scheme for internet connectivity in villages is bringing about transformational change. He said the Centre and States should work more closely on such schemes to improve ease of living for our citizens.
Keeping in mind the aspirations of a young country like India, the Prime Minister stressed on the need to build modern infrastructure.
He said the youth plays an important role in catalysing change in the country and cited the success of Digital India campaign to emphasise this point. He said that innovation must be encouraged, and more technology should be used to provide better opportunities for education and skill development.
The Prime Minister also emphasised on strengthening MSMEs and start-ups. Every State, every District, has its unique strengths, he added.
He said products should be shortlisted from every district and promoted--this will create healthy competition among all Districts and States, which will help in boosting our exports. He said that the Aspirational Districts Programme implemented in partnership with States holds a unique example in this regard.
The Prime Minister said geospatial data was liberalized recently, which would incentivise entrepreneurial endeavour, start-up innovation and the tech sector in general. Focus must be on ease-of-doing business for the international audience and on ease-of-living for our own people, he added.
The Prime Minister said the Central Government has introduced the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for various sectors, thus providing an excellent opportunity to increase manufacturing in the country. He urged the States to take full advantage of this scheme and attract maximum global investments and reap the benefits of reduced corporate tax rates.
In the sixth GCM meeting of NITI Aayog, States/UTs also mentioned efforts made to improve water accessibility, supply of quality and reliable power, internet connectivity and bandwidth availability, quality healthcare services, sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate the risks of climate change, undertake suitable reforms to build an advanced manufacturing and innovation ecosystem, thereby bolstering exports through the One District One Product initiative, apart from building on futuristic tech and inclusive governance models.
The Chief Ministers also noted marked improvement in the development of physical infrastructure, including digital connectivity, across the North-Eastern region, along with a greater thrust on the Act East Policy, with the aim of providing impetus to the economies of the NE States.
This Governing Council meeting paved the way for synergies across all tiers of the Government, with substantial collaboration and cooperation in the agenda items. The meeting provided an opportunity to address the objectives of advancing economic, social and demographic welfare, the release said.