- India
- Dec 13
Cabinet approves Rs 11,718 crore budget for Census 2027
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2027 at a cost of Rs 11,718.24 crore.
• The 16th edition of the Census since Independence will also provide an option of self enumeration to the citizens.
• The government has also decided to include caste enumeration in the Census this time.
• The previous Census was in 2011.
• The decadal exercise which was scheduled to take place in 2021 got postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.
• The population of the country as per the Census 2011 was 121.19 crore of which 62.37 crore (51.54 per cent) were males and 58.64 crore (48.46 per cent) were females.
Census
• The Indian Census is the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world.
• The Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990.
• The Census is the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India conducted on the basis of the Census Act.
• The Census is the basis for reviewing the country’s progress in the past decade, monitoring the ongoing schemes of the government and plan for the future.
• About 30 lakh field functionaries including enumerators, supervisors, master trainers, charge officers and principal/district census officers will be deployed for data collection, monitoring and supervision of Census operations.
The Census of India would be conducted in two phases:
i) Houselisting and Housing Census (the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household) – April to September 2026.
ii) Population Enumeration (PE) (the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household) – February 2027.
• For the UT of Ladakh and snow bound non-synchronous areas of UT of Jammu & Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, PE shall be conducted in September 2026.
• The Census provides detailed and authentic information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, language, religion, migration, disability besides others.
• The enumerators also collect data related to cultivators and agricultural labourers, their sex, occupational classification of workers in non-households industry, trade, business, profession or service by class of worker and sex.
• There will be a detailed survey on gender and literacy rate, number of towns, slum households and their population.
• With the huge social and demographic diversity in our country and related challenges, the Census 2027 will also capture caste data electronically in the second phase.
• Information is also collected on sources of potable water, energy, irrigation, method of farming, whether a house is concrete, thatched or others.
• This reliable, time-tested exercise has been bringing out a veritable wealth of statistics beginning from 1872 when the first Census was conducted in India non-synchronously in different parts.
• The government decided in May 1949 to initiate steps for developing systematic collection of statistics on the size of population, its growth, etc, and established an organisation in the Ministry of Home Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India.
• This organisation was made responsible for generating data on population statistics, including vital statistics and Census. Later, this office was also entrusted with the responsibility of implementation of Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
What is caste census?
• As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, Census is a Union Subject listed at 69 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule.
• Some states like Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have conducted surveys to enumerate castes.
• A caste census involves the systematic collection of data on the caste identities of individuals during a national census exercise. In India, where caste has historically shaped social, economic, and political dynamics, such data can provide insights into the demographic distribution, socio-economic conditions, and representation of various caste groups. This information can be used to inform policies on affirmative action, reservations, and social justice.
What is its historical context?
• The British colonial administration included caste enumeration in census exercises conducted every decade between 1881 and 1931. These surveys categorised the population by caste, religion, and occupation, providing detailed demographic data. The exercise was partly driven by the colonial need to understand and govern India's complex social structure.
• After India gained independence in 1947, the first census of independent India in 1951 marked a significant departure. The government, under then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, decided to discontinue caste enumeration except for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). This decision was rooted in the belief that focusing on caste could perpetuate divisions and hinder national unity in a newly independent nation.
• A decade later, in 1961, the central government allowed states to conduct their own surveys to prepare state-specific lists of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). This was in response to demands for affirmative action for socially and educationally backward groups beyond SCs and STs. However, no nationwide caste census was undertaken.
• In 2011, the UPA government conducted the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), the first attempt since 1931 to collect caste data nationwide. However, the caste data from SECC 2011 was never fully released or utilised, leading to criticism from opposition parties and caste-based organisations.
Significance of caste census?
• The inclusion of caste data in the upcoming census is poised to have far-reaching implications for governance, electoral politics, and India’s ongoing struggle with inequality.
• A caste census is more than a demographic exercise. It is a politically charged issue with deep social implications.
• The inclusion of caste in the census could have far-reaching implications for reservation policies, political representation, and social justice initiatives.
• It may also reshape electoral strategies, as parties vie for support from various caste groups.
• Much of access to essential services in India — like education, healthcare, nutrition, and social protection — is shaped by structural inequalities of caste, region, religion, and economic status.
• A caste census is critical to uncover these intersectional disparities and to design policies and programs that are truly equitable and inclusive, said activists.
• Accurate caste data can help tailor affirmative action policies, such as reservations in education and jobs, to address current socio-economic disparities.
• Many consider caste census essential to identify and uplift marginalised communities.
• However, people also warn that it could entrench caste identities and deepen divisions.