GUWAHATI: The Union Government has notified 40 questions for the Population Enumeration exercise, the second phase of Census 2027, including a question on caste for the first time in independent India, apart from the enumeration of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The questions cover basic demographic details such as name, relationship to the head of the household, sex, date of birth, age, marital status, nationality, religion, caste, mother tongue and languages known.
The Census schedule will also collect information on literacy, digital literacy, educational attendance, highest level of education, employment status, occupation, industry, class of worker and migration history.
Under Question 10, respondents will be asked to identify themselves under “Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste”. Officials said the caste will be recorded as declared by the respondent, with the caste field remaining open-ended.
Respondents will also be asked about their COVID-19 vaccination, including where they received the vaccine, as well as the number of bank accounts they hold and their mobile number.
The questionnaire will further seek information on documents held by respondents, including Aadhaar cards, Voter IDs and passports, as well as driving licences.
The decision to include caste enumeration was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30, 2025.
According to a notification issued by the Registrar General of India, census officers have been authorised to ask the specified questions to residents within their respective areas as part of the Household Schedule for Census 2027.
Population Enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be conducted from September 1 to 30 this year. In the rest of the country, the Population Enumeration exercise will begin in 2027.
Census 2027 is planned as a fully digital exercise, with data collection and processing to be carried out through digital systems.