According to the 2001 Census of India, what was the total population of India in crores (approximately)?

Introduction / Context:
Population size is a fundamental statistic for any country, and India is known as one of the most populous nations in the world. The 2001 Census provided an updated snapshot of India at the beginning of the twenty first century. Many exam questions ask for approximate population figures from specific census years. This question focuses on the approximate population of India according to the 2001 Census, expressed in crores.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The reference year is the 2001 Census.
• The population of India needs to be selected from four approximate values in crores.
• The options include 68, 84, 94, and 102.70 crores.
• We assume an understanding that one crore equals ten million people.

Concept / Approach:
According to the 2001 Census, the population of India was approximately 102.87 crore. In exam questions, this is often rounded to about 102.8 or 102.7 crore to simplify options. Among the choices provided, 102.70 crore is the only value that is close to the actual census figure. The other values are significantly lower and do not match the known data for 2001.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall or look up the approximate population of India according to the 2001 Census, which is about 1.028 billion.Step 2: Convert 1.028 billion into crores by noting that 1 billion is 100 crore, so 1.028 billion is approximately 102.8 crore.Step 3: Compare the calculated value with the options: 68, 84, 94, and 102.70.Step 4: Observe that 102.70 crore is very close to 102.8 crore, while the other values are far off.Step 5: Therefore, the correct option is 102.70 crore as the approximate population.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard references and exam guides on Indian demography list the 2001 population of India as around 102.8 crore. When questions in previous papers have asked for the 2001 figure, the correct answer has been in the range of 102 to 103 crore. The presence of 102.70 in the options makes it clear that this is the intended correct approximation. The much smaller numbers of 68, 84, and 94 crores correspond to earlier decades and do not fit the year 2001.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
68: This figure is far below the actual 2001 population and would correspond roughly to an earlier period.

84: This is also significantly lower than the real population of India in 2001.

94: This is somewhat closer but still much lower than the known figure of over 100 crore in 2001.

Common Pitfalls:
Some students confuse the population values for different census years, especially when they do not convert correctly between billions and crores. Others may underestimate how fast India's population has been growing. A useful memory aid is that India crossed the 100 crore mark around the 2001 Census, which makes values clearly below 100 crore unlikely for that year.

Final Answer:
According to the 2001 Census, the total population of India was approximately 102.70 crore.