The Centre on Friday notified 40 questions – caste, place of Covid vaccination being two of them – to be asked of respondents during the population enumeration phase of the Census, set to begin from September 1 in snow-bound areas, a government order said.
The population enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, will take place from September 1 to 30, according to a gazette notification issued earlier this month. The decision to include caste enumeration was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30 last year.
“For the conduct of the above Census, there shall be an option for self-enumeration from August 17 to 31 just before the start of house-to-house population enumeration,” it said. The questionnaire is unlikely to carry a list of castes, and the responses will be recorded as shared by respondents, sources said.
This is the first time caste will be enumerated in Independent India, other than that of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste. The respondents will also be asked about the place of Covid-19 vaccination, total number of bank accounts, mobile number, Aadhaar Number, Voter ID number, Passport number, and whether they possess a driving licence, it said. Earlier reporting noted: Caste, Covid vaccination: Centre notifies 40 questions for Census Phase 2 starting next month The Centre on Friday notified 40 questions to be asked of respondents during the second phase of the Census population enumeration, with caste and the place of Covid vaccination among them. The exercise is set to begin from September 1 in snow-bound areas, according to a government order. Earlier reporting noted: The population enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be conducted from September 1 to 30, according to a gazette notification issued earlier this month.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 8 of the Census Act, 1948 (Act 37 of 1948), the Central Government hereby instructs and directs that the census officers may, within the limits of the local area for which they have been respectively appointed, ask all such questions of all persons residing within such limits, subject to the items enumerated below, for collecting information through the Household Schedule in connection with the Census of India 2027,” a notification from Registrar General of India said. The enumerators will also ask for the birthplace of respondents, place of last residence, reason for migration, duration of stay in this village/town since last migration, and permanent residential address, it said. Earlier reporting noted: Census 2027 to have 40 questions, including details of caste, COVID vaccination, ID proofs The Union Government on Friday (August 14, 2026) notified 40 questions, which among others asks will ask the respondents to record their “caste” during the Population Enumeration exercise, the second phase of Population Census 2027 .
