New Delhi: The Union Government has notified a set of 40 questions to be administered during the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, marking the first time since Independence that comprehensive caste enumeration will be conducted for all communities. Issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Office of the Registrar General of India under Section 8(1) of the Census Act, 1948, the notification outlines the detailed Household Schedule covering demographic, socio-economic, cultural, educational, and identity-related parameters.
The inclusion of caste represents a major structural shift from previous post-Independence decennial counts, which historically enumerated only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Under Question Number 10 of the schedule, respondents will be asked about their status under “Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste,” implementing a policy decision approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) in April 2025.
Conducted as India’s first digital census, the exercise features digital data collection along with an optional self-enumeration window. The first phase, focusing on House Listing and Housing operations, is scheduled across states and union territories between April and September 2026. The second phase, covering nationwide population enumeration and caste recording, will take place in February 2027, while being advanced to September 2026 for Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
The questionnaire gathers comprehensive particulars including family relationships, marital status, religion, disability, mother tongue, literacy, employment details, migration history, and fertility data. In addition, the schedule incorporates queries regarding identity documents, bank accounts, mobile numbers, and the location of COVID-19 vaccinations, all protected under strict statutory confidentiality safeguards guaranteed by Section 15 of the Census Act.
