States stumped as demography panel seeks religion-wise data on vehicles, schools, voters
The panel has sought religion-wise data for past 15 years on birth and vehicle registrations, school enrolment and property transactions, as well as district-wise details of religious structures and unusual increases in Aadhaar, voter ID and ration card registrations; data not maintained on religious lines, officials say
State governments are struggling to provide requested data on religion-wise information for various categories, according to a high-level committee studying demographic changes. The committee, known as the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC), has sought this information for the past 15 years, including birth and vehicle registrations, school enrollment, property transactions, and district-wise details of religious structures.
Additionally, they have requested intelligence assessments and commission reports on religious conversions among Scheduled Tribe communities, as well as data on operational detention centers.
The 35 questions posed by the committee have proven challenging for state officials to answer, as the Constitution's secular nature prohibits collecting data under religious categories. With the exception of birth registration, where the religion of the newborn is noted on the certificate, most other categories lack religion-wise data.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had opposed the Sachar Commission recommendations in 2006, arguing that they promoted religious quotas and were socially divisive. The committee was established on May 26, 2023, and is led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, with the aim of studying demographic changes resulting from illegal immigration and other unusual factors, and suggesting measures to address these issues.
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