Census 2027 to include caste count: Minister
Big update: The government just confirmed that Census 2027 will include a caste count in its second phase.
Minister Nityanand Rai shared the news on February 4, saying the exact questions about caste will be finalized and shared before the main population survey kicks off.
This move comes after several representations regarding the enumeration of caste were received from various organizations in different states, including the state of Tamil Nadu.
Highlights of the upcoming digital census
This census is going digital, with mobile apps and online portals making it easier to collect info about people's backgrounds, jobs, and cultures.
About 30 lakh enumerators will still go door-to-door, but there's also a self-enumeration option for respondents to submit their own data.
The process has two phases: house listing (to be conducted over a 30-day period specified by each state and Union Territory between April 1 and September 30 this year) and population counting (with reference dates varying by area).
Different reference dates are set for snowy places like Ladakh (October 1, 2026) versus the rest of India (March 1, 2027).
All this aims to make sure everyone gets counted accurately—and digitally!