India approves census plans amid protests over citizenship law

India's federal cabinet approved funds on Tuesday for a census and population survey to be conducted next year, amid fears the database could be used to build a controversial citizens register, against which there have been widespread protests.

Hundreds of thousands of Indians have taken to the streets to protest a new citizenship law enacted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government. The law provides a pathway to Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who moved here before 2015.

Some of these protests have led to clashes between police and demonstrators in which at least 21 people have been killed.

Many Indians say the law discriminates against Muslims and violates India's secular constitution by making religion a test for citizenship. They say the law and a proposed national register of citizens could be used against the Muslim minority.

The government approved 87.54 billion rupees ($1.62 billion Cdn) for conducting the census and 39.41 billion rupees ($728 million) for updating the National Population Register (NPR), Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

The census, held every 10 years, collects data on population, economy activity, social and cultural aspects, migration and demography, down to the lowest administrative level.

The NPR is intended to create a comprehensive identity database of every resident of India.

The census and population survey will start from April next year.

Javadekar said the census exercise had no relation with the national register of citizens.

Protests in New Delhi on Tuesday

Modi has defended the new citizenship law and accused the opposition of pushing the country into a "fear psychosis."

Hundreds of students marched Tuesday through the streets of New Delhi to Jantar Mantar, an area designated for protests near Parliament. They walked behind a huge banner that read, "We the People of India."

Vipul Kumar Chaudhary, a student, said the purpose of the march was to ensure there was no discrimination on the basis of religion. "India is a bouquet of people representing different religions. We want to preserve it."

Authorities across India have taken a hard-line approach to quell the protests. They've evoked a British colonial-era law banning public gatherings, and internet access has been blocked at times in some states. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has asked broadcasters across the country to refrain from using content that could inflame further violence.

Most of the deaths have occurred in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where 20 per cent of the state's 200 million people are Muslim. The state government is controlled by Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party.