''Giving false info during Census is punishable''

Bhubaneswar, Feb 7 (PTI) With the decadal head countof population scheduled to start from Wednesday in Orissa,along with rest of the country, the Census authorities herecautioned that persons giving false information or trying tohide facts could be penalised by up to Rs 1,000.

Every person is legally bound to answer questions tothe best of his/her knowledge or belief to the censusenumerators, said census director B P Sethy.

Stating that the records of census were not opened toinspection and not admissible as evidences, Sethy said that incase of conviction for giving false information, the personcould be punished with imprisonment which might extend up tothree years.

The provision of punishments for giving falseinformation was there under the Census Act, 1948, he saidreplying a question.

Though, it is an old law, people should be aware aboutit, he said adding that faultless enumeration of the peoplewas essential as it helped the progress of the nation in manyways.

The enumerators will collect information about eachindividual through household schedules during the period fromFebruary 9 to 28 by visiting each houses. Count of houselesspopulation will be done on the night of February 28 andenumerators will re-visit all the households during the periodof March 1 to 5 to take into account of any death, birth andarrival of visitors, he said.

For taking census, the entire state has been dividedinto 95,462 enumeration blocks and 12,468 supervisory circles.

"Care has been taken to ensure coverage of 100 percent of slum population," the officer said.

Special training has been imparted for enumeration ofdifferent category of people including in areas hit byLeft-wing extremism, he added.