Primary Census Abstract (PCA); District Census Handbook (DCH)

The Primary Census Abstract (PCA) and District Census Handbook (DCH) data from the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Government of India, provide socio-economic data at various administrative levels (state, district, sub-district, village, and town). This data is collected as part of the Population Census of India, where every household in the country are surveyed to gather various socio-economic data. The PCA and DCH can be used to derive information on various urbanization indicators, such as urbanization rates and city-size differences, at different administrative levels. While data for 1991, 2001, and 2011 is available in digital format, data for earlier years is available in report format. In addition, Census data provides various information on slum areas (including population and housing conditions) that can be useful for studying vulnerable populations.