India
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Census caste questionnaire likely notified next week
The Hindu··5 Aug
The final questionnaire for the Population Census 2027 enumeration phase is likely to be notified next week, ahead of early counting in snow-bound areas. The exercise will record caste for all residents and is India's first digital Census. Self-enumeration for Ladakh and specified Himalayan areas opens from August 17 before house-to-house work begins based on current reports.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Households in Ladakh and snow-bound areas should note self-enumeration opens from August 17 before house-to-house counting.
- Citizens elsewhere can prepare for the main population enumeration in February 2027 under Census 2027.
- Anyone following reservation and welfare debates can watch how caste will be recorded for the first time in an independent India census.
What's Happening
- The final questionnaire for Census 2027's population enumeration phase is likely to be notified next week, The Hindu reported.
- The exercise will enumerate caste for all residents and is India's first digital Census.
- Snow-bound areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand begin early, with self-enumeration from August 17.
Why Caste Enumeration Is Back After Decades
- Until now, only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were counted in the Census; the last full caste count was in 1931.
- The 2011 Socio Economic Caste Census produced over 46 lakh caste name variants and was never released as reliable official data.
- Rehearsals used an open column for caste declarations, while the final form is expected to carry about 28 questions.
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