Caste to Be Counted in Census 2027, Government Confirms
Enumeration to be done during Population Enumeration phase; questions to be notified later
- Government notifies intent to conduct Census 2027
- Caste enumeration to take place in second phase of Census
- Questions on caste to be finalised before Population Enumeration
- Assurance given in Rajya Sabha by MoS Home Affairs
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 4th Feb: The Government of India has confirmed that caste will be enumerated during Census 2027, with the exercise to be carried out in the second phase of the Census operation, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the government has already notified its intention to conduct Census 2027, and that caste enumeration will form part of the Population Enumeration phase.
He explained that Census operations in India are conducted in two phases. The first phase, known as the House Listing Operation (HLO), collects information related to housing conditions, assets and household amenities. The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), gathers demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other personal details of every individual.
The government has already notified the questions for the first phase on January 22, 2026. Questions for the second phase, including those related to caste, will be finalised and notified before the commencement of the Population Enumeration phase, following established procedures.
The Minister said the government has received several representations from organisations across various States, including Tamil Nadu, seeking enumeration of caste in the Census. These inputs will be considered while finalising the questionnaire for the second phase.
The clarification was given in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, reaffirming the government’s position that caste data collection will be part of the upcoming decennial Census exercise.
