NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday notified a set of 40 questions to be asked during the exercise of the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, with specific mention of “caste enumeration” for all communities for the first time since Independence, marking a major departure from previous decennial censuses.
The notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Office of the Registrar General, India, on Friday lists the information to be collected from every person through the Household Schedule. It includes details on caste, religion, education, employment, migration, family and other demographic parameters.
Caste enumeration has emerged as a major feature of the Indian Census 2027. The inclusion of caste at the question number 10 assumes particular significance as Census 2027 will be the first census since Independence to undertake comprehensive caste enumeration. Until the 2011 Census, the exercise included the systematic enumeration of only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) while caste enumeration for other communities was not part of the post-Independence Census. The decision to include caste enumeration in Census 2027 was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) in April 30, 2025.
The latest notification specifically lists question number 10 as “Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste” among other questions to be asked during population enumeration.
The notification comes as preparations for Census 2027 are underway. The Census is being conducted in two phases, with the first phase covering House Listing and Housing Census, followed by Population Enumeration, during which comprehensive demographic, socio-economic and caste-related information will be collected. (ANI)
Also Read: Self-enumeration training programme for Census-2027 conducted at BTC Secretariat