Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the first phase of the much-delayed Census 2027 is scheduled to be conducted during April-September 2026.
“This is house listing and housing census. The second phase of Census 2027 – population enumeration – is scheduled in September 2026 in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and snow belt of Jammu and Kashmir. In all other parts of the country, it will take place in February 2027,” Ramesh said.
“On April 30, 2025, the (Narendra) Modi government took a complete U-turn and suddenly announced that caste enumeration will be included in Census 2027,” he said in a post on X.
It is noteworthy that the Modi government had always rejected the idea of caste census, the Congress leader said, in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 20, 2021, and in his affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on September 21, 2021.
“On April 28, 2024, the Prime Minister himself in a television ‘interview’ had accused all those demanding caste census of suffering from ‘urban Naxalite mentality’.
“But clearly the Prime Minister was forced to agree to the broader demand for a caste census, which was voiced by Mallikarjun Kharge and the Indian National Congress led by Rahul Gandhi,” Ramesh said.
Noting that the Modi government has just notified the list of subjects to be included in the Houselisting and Housing Census schedule, he said Question 12 instead of asking clearly about OBC and General categories asks whether the head of the household belongs to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or ‘Other’ categories.
“Since the caste enumeration is to be a part of Census 2027, Question 12 as framed raises serious questions about the true intentions of the Modi government and its commitment towards a comprehensive, unbiased, nationwide caste census,” he said.
“The Indian National Congress now calls on the Modi government to immediately initiate dialogue with political parties, state governments and civil society organizations before finalizing the details of the caste enumeration exercise,” Ramesh said.
He pointed out that such consultations were an integral part of the SEEEPC survey which was conducted by the Telangana government in 2025, and which is the most comprehensive and meaningful way to gather important caste-wise information on education, employment, income and political engagement.
Ramesh said these are necessary to ensure better economic and social justice.
The government on Thursday notified 33 questions that will be asked to citizens during the first phase of the census – house listing and housing enumeration – starting from April 1.
In a gazette notification published on Thursday, Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan listed questions such as the materials used in the floors and ceilings of the house, the number of married couples living there, the gender of the head of the household, the type of grains consumed, access to basic and modern necessities, and the type of vehicles owned.
The notification said, “The Central Government directs that all Census Officers, within the limits of the local areas for which they are respectively appointed, may ask all such questions to all persons on the items set out below to collect information through Houselisting and Housing Census Schedule in connection with the Census of India 2027.”
During the survey the enumerator will ask about the ownership status of the household, its use, type of material used in flooring and roofing, number of rooms and gender of the head of the household.
The questions will start by asking the building number (municipal or local authority or census number), census house number, major materials used in the floor, wall and roof of the house.
The enumerator will then ask about the use of the house, its condition and the number of people normally living in the house.
The officials will also collect information about the head of the family, such as name and gender, whether the head of the family belongs to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or other communities and ownership status.
The first phase of Census 2027 – the houselisting exercise – will take place between April 1 and September 30 this year during a 30-day period specified by each state and union territory.
There will also be an option to do a self-count 15 days immediately before the start of the houselisting count.
The census, a mammoth task of Rs 11,718 crore, will be conducted in two phases – house-listing and housing census from April to September; And population census in February 2027. The decennial exercise, which was scheduled to take place in 2021, got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government had earlier said that Census 2027 will also collect caste data electronically in the population enumeration phase.
The last comprehensive caste-based enumeration was conducted between 1881 and 1931. Caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since independence.
The decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 30 last year.
In the first digital census to be conducted by around 30 lakh enumerators, data will be collected using mobile applications to ensure better quality data which will be available for both Android and iOS versions.
As of 2011 census, the country had a population of 1,210.19 million, of which 623.72 million (51.54 percent) were males, and 586.46 million (48.46 percent) were females.