NSSO v/s Census

Introduction

Development of theoretical practical aspects of any subject depends on the definition of the subject. Definitions describe the exact nature and meaning and also set the limit of the subject. Definitions work as a guide for future course of action. There is no unanimous definition of any subject, because of differences in perception. Based on individual perception subject is defined differently. For example sociologist, psychologist, doctors, economists etc define the definition of the term 'human being' differently. Secondly, definition changes with development of the subject. Based on the nature and understanding of the subject at particular time definitions are generated and based on the development of the subject over a period of time definitions are revised. Thus universal and permanent definition of any subject is not possible.

Different definitions of disability are introduced for various purposes and, as such, they have been based on various criteria. No single universal standard exists in the world in order to evaluate disability. In common parlance, different terms such as disabled, handicapped, crippled, physically challenged are used inter-changeably, but all these terms have their individual meaning. In medical, disability is defined based on physical fitness, limitation of physical functions whether locomotor, sensory, or affecting special organ. Sociologist defines disability as a capacity to perform personal and social obligations or to evoke unfavorable social attitude. Under education, child is considered disabled based on physical conditions preventing full participation's childhood activities. Vocational professional defines disability based on limitations in terms of employment. Thus how you define disability depends on the purpose for which you want to define disability.
View Disability in India by Census and NSSO Table

At national level there are two institutions, National Sample Survey Organizations and Census of India, which collect national level data on the nature and magnitude of disability in the country. Present paper aims at outlining the difference in these two estimates (Census 2001 and National Sample Survey 58th Round 2002), and attributing to definitions adopted by them.

This conclusion is misleading, because the definitions adopted by two organizations are different. Secondly, if we look at types of disabled in India as estimated by two organizations, according to the Census of India the proportion of seeing disabled in total disable population is 48.55 percent, where as according to NSSO, their proportion is 15 percent. Similarly in case of people with movement disabled, census estimates at 27.87 percent of total disabled population, where as NSSO estimates than at 57.51 percent. Thus according to Census of India disabled with seeing disabilities are leading in number in India, where as according to NSS disabled with locomotor disability are leading. Similarly there are differences in estimates in case of other disabilities as well.

The question arises is why there is such a vast difference in estimates between two national level institutes. Major factor resulting in these kind of divergence are definitions of disabilities and methods of data collection used by these institutions.

Census of India 2001 document mentioned "Defining and measuring disability is a complex issue and it is not easy to communicate these concepts during the census process, in which only a limited amount of questioning time is possible to be spent with a household for obtaining detailed information on every individual." With regard to definitions adopted by PWD Act Census of India stated "the concepts and definitions of disabilities coupled with measuring its extent and its types contained in the PWD Act, 1995 were found to be extremely difficult to canvass even in normal circumstances assuming people had time, were willing and forthcoming to share this information and there was an expert investigator to elicit this information." Census therefore used its own version of definitions of disabilities.

National Sample Survey Organization on the other hand define disability as "a person with restrictions or lack of abilities to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. It excludes illness/injury of recent origin resulting into temporary loss of ability to see, hear, speak or move"

The Census of India counts 10,634,881 persons with visual disabilities. In the next year National Sample Survey Organization estimated them at 2,826,700. Thus census estimates are 3.8 times NSSO estimates. Based on this data, one may wrongly conclude that number of visually disabled has declined by 78, 08,181which is because of the difference in definition of visual disabled used by two institutions. The Census of India defines seeing disabled as "A person who cannot see at all or has blurred vision even with the help of spectacles. A person with proper vision in one eye will also be treated as visually disabled. A person may have blurred vision and had no occasion to test whether her/his eyesight would improve by using spectacles would be treated as visually disabled". Where as NSSO defines visually disabled as "by visually disabled it was meant, loss or lack of ability to execute tasks requiring adequate visual acuity. Visually disabled include (a) those who did not have any light perception - both eyes taken together and (b) those who had light perception but could not correctly count the figures of hand (with spectacles/ contact lances it he/she used spectacles/ contact lances) from a distance of 3 meters in good day light with both eyes open. Night blindness was not considered as visual disability."

If we compare these two definitions, the definitions adopted by Census of India are wide in coverage compared to NSSO. Definition adopted by NSSO includes persons either with no light perception or blurred vision. Where as Census includes, apart from these two categories, people with proper vision in one eye and also people who may have blurred vision and had no occasion to test whether his/her eyesight would improve by using spectacles. Because of vide definition; Census of India estimates of people with seeing/visual disabilities are more as compared to NSSO estimates. In case of disabled with speech disability, Census of India estimated that, in India there are 1,640,868 (7.49 percent of total disabled) persons with such disabilities, where as NSSO estimated them at 2,154,500 (11.65 percent of total disabled). Here also variation is due to definitional aspects. According to Census of India, a person is recorded as having speech disability, if she/he is dumb, or a listener does not understand speech. A person who stammers but whose speech is comprehensible will not be classified as disabled by speech. NSSO include among speech disabled, those who could not speak, spoke only limited words or those with loss of voice. It also include those whose speech is not understood due to defects in speech such as stammering, nasal voice, horse voice and discordant voice and articulation defects etc. In this case person with stammering voice are classified as disabled by NSSO where as they are not classified as disabled by the Census of India.

Census of India has estimated 1261722 people in India having hearing disabilities, which constitute 5.76 percent of total disabled population. NSSO estimated them at 3061700, 16.56 percent of total disabled. According to the Census of India hearing disabled means all those who cannot hear at all, can hear only loud sounds, cannot hear through one ear but her/his other ear is functioning normally. A person who can hear using hearing aid will not be considered as disabled under this category. According to the NSSO, if one ear is normal and the other ear had total hearing loss, then the person was not judged as hearing disabled. Similarly hearing disability was judged without considering the use of hearing aid. Thus there is divergence of definitions. Persons using hearing aid are not considered as disabled by census while NSS considered them as disabled. A person whose one ear is functioning normally is considered as non-disabled by NSS while the Census of India considered them disabled.

In the case of movement disability, Census definition includes the person, who, lacks limbs or unable to use them, absence of all figures, deformed body, can not move without aid, unable to move/lift an article, unable to move because of problems of joints like arthritis. NSSO definitions of locomotor disability include persons with loss or absence or inactivity of whole or part of hand or lag or both due to amputation, paralysis, deformity, or dysfunction of joints; those with physical deformity in the body such as hunch back, deformed spine etc. Dwarfs and persons with stiff neck of permanent nature who generally did not have difficulty in the normal movement of body and limbs were also treated as disabled. Using these definitions Census of India calculated 61,05,477 (27.87 percent of total disabled) disabled people in India, where as NSSO estimated them at 1,06,34,000 (57.51 percent of total disabled). In this case estimate of NSSO are 1.74 time that of Census. The reason for this divergent estimates lies, among other things, in definitions. NSSO definition of locomotor disability is very wide as compared to the Census of India. It includes loss of limbs and deformed body as included by the Census of India. Over an above that it also includes paralysis, amputation, dysfunction, and dwarfs.

There is not much difference in the definitions of mental disability used by Census and NSSO. Both have considered comprehension appropriate to age as a criterion for identifying mentally disabled.

Because of different definitions adopted by NSSO and Census, the picture of disability as envisaged by both is different. Initially the question of disability was canvassed by the Census of India but it was discontinued because of questions raised on the reliability of data, definitions and methodology. Census 1981 included the question of disability but than practice was again discontinued in 1991 Census because of question rose on the reliability on information. NSSO on the other hand conduct disability surveys at different intervals. The definitions are changed by NSSO in different surveys. NSSO in its 47th Round July-December 1991, concentrated only on physical disability.

Defining Disabilities: NSSO v/s Census

Abstract

Introduction

Conclusion

References

Acts in Disability

Useful Information

Disability India Journal

National Level Institutes