Sri Lanka, March 17 -- Questions are asked about the delayed census, the timing of certain counting exercises and the rationale of a new citizenship law

As India goes into the election mode, controversies have arisen around the counting of the population and the grant or denial of Indian citizenship.

These counting exercises are necessary for knowing the social, religious, caste and economic profile of the Indian population to enable correct targeting of the government's economic and social welfare schemes. They also enable effective political/electoral mobilisation of people by political parties.

The exercises in question at this juncture are the decennial census, the National Population Register (NPR), the National Register of Citize...