RAS question
According to Census 2011, India's total population was approximately:
Correct answer: (B) 121.08 crore (1.21 billion).
Census 2011 recorded India's total population at approximately 121.08 crore.
Explanation
Census 2011 places India's total population at 1,210,854,977 persons, which is conventionally rounded to 121.08 crore. That makes option B the closest and precise Census-based figure. The number is important because it anchors several standard demographic comparisons: at that time, India was the world's second most populous country after China, and its 2001-2011 decadal growth rate was 17.7%, lower than the 21.5% recorded in 1991-2001. For RAS, the trap is usually not the broad trend but the exact Census 2011 base figure, since later estimates can make 130 crore sound plausible.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 130 crore points to a later population estimate, not the enumerated total recorded in Census 2011.
- (C) 100 crore is too low for Census 2011 and fits roughly the level India had reached around 2000, not the 2011 count.
- (D) 110 crore understates the Census 2011 total, which was about 121.08 crore.
Concept
This tests Census-based population facts under Indian human geography. It recurs in RAS because demographic base figures are used to frame questions on population growth, density, literacy, sex ratio and planning indicators.