As of the beginning of this month, China's population was estimated to be around 142 crore, while India's projected population was 139 crore.

The Indian government informed the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, of this development in a written reply by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.

The United Nations World Population Prospectus 2022, which was published in December 2021, had estimated that China's population would be around 142.56 crore by July 1, 2023, while India's population was projected to be around 139.23 crore.

The government had notified its intention to conduct the Census 2021 in March 2019.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the census and related field activities have been postponed.

The census was originally scheduled to begin in April 2020, but was later postponed to September 2020, and then further postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.

India's population has been growing rapidly and is projected to surpass China's in the coming years.

According to a UN report, India's population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 by the end of this month, while China's population is projected to be around 141 crore.

The Indian government has been implementing various policies to control the country's population growth, including a two-child policy, which was introduced in 2016.

In conclusion, the Indian government has informed the parliament that India's population is projected to be less than China's by July 1, 2023.

This development is significant as it marks a major demographic shift and highlights the rapidly changing population dynamics in the two countries.