📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Prime Minister's Office
National
India to Conduct First Caste Enumeration in Census 2027
✍️ The News Mill
🗓 14 Aug 2026, 05:36 PM
👁 4
The 2027 Census will, for the first time since independence, record caste information, marking a significant shift in demographic data collection.
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner announced that the 2027 Census will, for the first time since 1947, include a detailed enumeration of caste categories.
This move follows a long debate over the relevance of caste data for planning and affirmative‑action policies. By capturing caste information, the government aims to improve the targeting of welfare schemes and monitor the implementation of reservation policies.
The census will cover the entire Indian population of about 1.4 billion people. Enumerators will be trained to record caste data alongside other demographic details such as age, sex, and literacy.
The inclusion of caste data is expected to provide a more nuanced picture of social stratification, helping policymakers design more effective interventions across the country.
This move follows a long debate over the relevance of caste data for planning and affirmative‑action policies. By capturing caste information, the government aims to improve the targeting of welfare schemes and monitor the implementation of reservation policies.
The census will cover the entire Indian population of about 1.4 billion people. Enumerators will be trained to record caste data alongside other demographic details such as age, sex, and literacy.
The inclusion of caste data is expected to provide a more nuanced picture of social stratification, helping policymakers design more effective interventions across the country.