Enumerating India

India’s Elders: Challenges to Inclusive Growth, Moneer Alam, Professor, Population Research Centre, Delhi University.

Changing demography of the country, specifically related structural changes can have serious implications for India in terms of its inclusive growth policy. The paper analyses the kind of changes implied by India’s rapidly changing demographic parameters in context of its elders.

India’s Urbanisation: Highlights 2011 Census, Anuradha Banerjee, Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development (CSRD), JNU, New Delhi.

In general parlance, the process of becoming urban refers to the concentration of a territory’s population in towns and cities and involves the growth of urban population in respect to total population. The paper offers glimpses of the new findings offered by the Census 2011 and highlights some of the significant changes that India is undergoing.

Declining Child Sex Ratio in India: Evidence from Census 2011, Dhanajay W Bansood, Assistant Professor, Population Research Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.

The declining child sex ratio throws up complex challenges for a nation that is struggling to fill its resource gap. The provisional findings of the Census 2011 reiterates the hopelessness that the nations’ girl children are staring at. The essay is an attempt to highlight some issues and relationships related to India’s declining child sex ratio scenario.

Rasikbil: The dying wetland, Sumit Chakraborty, Freelance writer and photographer.

Situated at the foothill of Sintura Hill, Coochbehar, West Bengal, Rasikbil is a land of winged beauties. Or at least used to be. With an ever increasing tourist rush the bird count is dropping and Rasikbil seems to be losing its panoramic charm.

Censuses down the ages, Staff Reporter, Iris Publications, New Delhi.

The practise of counting has been prevalent for eons based on the need - administrative, military or otherwise. In the present context synchronised census systems are in place world over, that enable the understanding of population dynamics over space and time.

Our Census, Our Future?, Staff Reporter, Iris Publications, New Delhi.

Supported by a huge draw from the public exchequer, the Census needs to be examined in terms of its utility for the nation. We also perhaps need to look towards possible alternatives to make the exercise more feasible.

Fresh Water in India, Staff Reporter, Iris Publications, New Delhi.

Prioritising the future need for water demands stringent laws. It is imperative that a state-driven directive is put in place to ensure adequate and save coverage.

Rural – Urban Divide in Health Status, Srinivas Goli, Research Scholar, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai.

Health is a critical dimension of human development as outlined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, India is still grappling with the persistent rural - urban divide. The nation today urgently need to strengthen the country’s rural health infrastructure to better its health status beyond the middle and upper classes of society.

Gender Sensitisation in the Census, Suman Prashar, Consultant, Census of India.

The process of collecting census data in India has been riddled with gaps in gender data specifically pertaining to women’s contribution to India’s economic activity and female work participation rate. This paper traces gaps persistent in the Census since 1971 along with changes accomplished in 2011.

Population Control Expanding India, Staff Reporter, Iris Publications, New Delhi.

The alarming increase in population is leading India towards a resource scourge and efforts by the government, at this stage, is paramount in dealing with stabilisation concerns.

Sanitation for All, Staff Reporter, Iris Publications, New Delhi.

Development is closely connected with good health and sanitation demands utmost priority for a successful nation.

Jewels in my Backyard Amazing Spiders of Andaman, Ajai Saxena, Principal Secretary, Dept. of Tribal Welfare & Industries, Andaman and Nicobar Administration.

Dark brown, hairy, venomous, creatures of the dark - these are some of the thoughts that spring to our minds when we hear the word ‘spider’. But in reality, they are far from being a fright. Unique and beautiful, this article showcases those that frequent the lush green backyard of my home in Port Blair.

Urban Poor: India Amenities, Staff Reporter, Iris Publications, New Delhi.

DThe Indian Government has enhanced its slum development schemes in an effort to bring down urban poverty further.