Census 2027: Centre Notifies 40 Questions, Caste And Covid Vaccination Details Included

The Centre has notified 40 questions for the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, covering everything from caste, religion and education to employment, migration and Covid-19 vaccination. The questionnaire will also seek details such as Aadhaar, voter ID, bank accounts and mobile phone information, according to the notification issued by the Registrar General of India.

Caste details to be recorded

For the first time since 1931, caste data will be collected as part of the national Census exercise. Respondents will be asked whether they belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and will also have to provide their caste details.

The questionnaire will also cover religion, citizenship, marital status, date of birth, parents’ details, mother tongue and knowledge of other languages.

Education, jobs and migration among key questions

The 40 questions will seek a broad range of demographic and socio-economic information. People will be asked about their literacy and digital literacy, level of education, employment, nature of work, source of income and reasons for migration.

Questions related to disability, women’s fertility and childbirth will also form part of the population enumeration.

The questionnaire will also collect documentary and contact details, including Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, bank account and mobile phone information.

Covid vaccination details included

One of the notable questions will ask respondents where they received their Covid-19 vaccination. The information is part of the expanded set of details being collected during the population enumeration phase.

Census to be conducted in two phases

Census 2027 is being conducted in two phases. The first phase covers houselisting and housing enumeration, for which 33 questions were notified earlier. These include details about housing conditions, household amenities and the social category of the head of the household.

The second phase will cover population enumeration and is scheduled for February 2027. It will record demographic, social and economic details of individuals across the country.

Snow-bound areas to begin from September

Population enumeration will begin earlier in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The exercise in these areas is scheduled from September 1 to 30, while self-enumeration will be available from August 17 to 31.

The remaining parts of the country will undergo population enumeration in February 2027.

India’s first digital Census

Census 2027 will be India’s first fully digital Census, with data collection carried out through a mobile application and a self-enumeration facility for citizens. The exercise will be the country’s 16th Census and the eighth since Independence.

The 2021 Census was postponed amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2027 exercise will therefore provide the country’s first comprehensive population count since the 2011 Census.