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Census 2027: 40 questions notified, caste included for first time
The Centre has notified 40 questions for the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, including caste, SC/ST status, and place of COVID-19 vaccination. This is the first time caste details are being…
The Story in Brief
The Centre has notified 40 questions for the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, including caste, SC/ST status, and place of COVID-19 vaccination. This is the first time caste details are being collected in a decennial census. The enumeration begins September 1 in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, running until September 30. For the rest of the country, it will start next year. An online self-enumeration facility will be available from August 17 to 31. The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for the exercise, which is being conducted digitally.
The questionnaire also seeks details on Aadhaar, mobile number, bank accounts, education, employment, migration, and for women, child survival data. The housing census phase is already underway since April 16.
The Indian Opinion
The inclusion of caste in the census is being spun as either a grand step toward social justice or a dangerous tool for division. Both sides exaggerate. Caste data, if collected and published transparently, can actually help target welfare schemes. But legitimate fears remain about privacy and misuse of the information. The real test will be whether the government releases the raw, individual-level data for independent analysis or only aggregated totals. Watch for the small print on data access.
Sources (3): hindustantimes.com, indiatoday.in, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
