Questions on caste to be notified before second phase of Census 2027: Government

The questions on caste to be asked by enumerators will be notified before the commencement of the second phase of the Census 2027, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the questions will be finalised on the basis of inputs and suggestions received from different ministries, departments, organisations, Census data users, etc., before each Census.

"The questions, including on caste, for the second phase will be finalised and notified as per the established procedure," he said.

The Census will be conducted in two phases - houselisting and housing census from April to September 2026, and population enumeration (PE) in February 2027.

The houselisting and housing census will systematically list all structures, houses and households throughout the country to provide a sound framework for the conduct of the population enumeration.

The Union Cabinet has approved ₹11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India, 2027, which would include the caste enumeration for the first time.

The 16th Census since Independence will be a fully digital exercise and will offer citizens the option of self-enumeration. The decadal exercise, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.