NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday notified a 40 questions for the second phase of Census 2027, including for the first time an open-ended caste question for every respondent, in addition to the enumeration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The notification, issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under the seal of Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, lists “Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste” as Question No. 10 in the population enumeration schedule.
Officials said the caste column will remain open-ended, with enumerators recording the exact caste or sub-caste declared by the respondent. The format was retained after a pre-test conducted from July 1 to 20 across 16 states and Union Territories, during which non-SC/ST respondents were also asked to state their caste.
The expanded questionnaire significantly widens the data net. Besides basic demographic and socio-economic particulars, enumerators will collect identification and service details, including Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, voter ID, passport and driving licence information where applicable.
Enumeration will begin on August 17 in Ladakh and the snow-bound regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, ahead of the nationwide exercise scheduled for February 2027.
The expanded questionnaire is expected to make Census 2027 one of the most comprehensive population data-collection exercises undertaken in the country, officials said.
The 40 questions cover name, age, sex, marital status, spouse’s name, nationality, religion, caste or tribe and parents’ details. Education-related queries include literacy, digital literacy, institutional attendance and the highest level attained. Language data will record mother tongue and other languages known.
Employment questions will capture work status in the preceding year, occupation, industry or service sector, class of worker, job-seeking status and travel to the workplace. Migration particulars will include place of birth, previous residence, reasons for migration, duration of stay and permanent address.
Among the notable additions for population enumeration are questions on the place of Covid-19 vaccination, the total number of bank accounts and the availability of Aadhaar, mobile, digital literacy, voter I-card, passport and driving licence details.
No drop-down list
The questionnaire is unlikely to carry a list of castes, and responses will be recorded as shared by respondents. The decision to include caste enumeration was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30 last year
