Questions on caste for Census 2027 to be notified before phase 2

The questions on caste to be asked by enumerators will be notified before the commencement of the second phase of Census 2027, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the questions would be finalised based on inputs and suggestions from various ministries, departments, organisations and Census data users.

"The questions, including those on caste, for the second phase will be finalised and notified as per the established procedure," he said. The Census will be conducted in two phases — houselisting and housing census from April to September 2026, and population enumeration in February 2027.

The houselisting phase will involve a systematic listing of all structures, houses and households across the country to provide a framework for population enumeration. The Union Cabinet has approved ₹11,718 crore for conducting Census 2027, which will include caste enumeration for the first time.

The 16th Census since Independence will be conducted in a fully digital format and will offer citizens the option of self-enumeration. The decadal exercise, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(With PTI inputs)