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Census 2027: caste, Covid jab among 40 household questions
The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified 40 questions for Census 2027, including caste and place of Covid-19 vaccination for the first time. The population enumeration begins on September 1 in snow-bound…
The Story in Brief
The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified 40 questions for Census 2027, including caste and place of Covid-19 vaccination for the first time. The population enumeration begins on September 1 in snow-bound areas like Ladakh and parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. A self-enumeration option will be available from August 17 to 31. The rest of the country will be surveyed next year.
Other questions cover personal details, economic activity, migration, fertility, and possession of documents like Aadhaar, voter ID and passport. The decennial exercise, postponed from 2021, has an approved budget of Rs 11,718 crore and will be fully digital. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, approved caste enumeration on April 30 last year. Caste responses will be recorded as stated by individuals, without a fixed list.
The Indian Opinion
The inclusion of caste and Covid jab details in Census 2027 is being painted as either a masterstroke or a divisive move. The truth is simpler: caste data has been demanded for decades to assess affirmative action, and vaccine information aids public health planning. The real test will be privacy safeguards. With the census going digital, will the government ensure that sensitive caste and medical data is not misused? Watch for the data protection framework announced alongside the enumeration.
Sources (3): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, rediff.com, thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
