Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 11 times

Caste Enumeration

First Since 1931

Independent India's Census exercises since 1951 have enumerated Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (as constitutionally required for reservation purposes) but have not collected data on other caste categories. Census 2027 marks the first time since the 1931 Census (the last colonial-era census to record caste comprehensively) that caste data will be enumerated as part of the regular decennial Census.

Key details

Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution constitutionally require SC/ST population data for reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies respectively, which is why SC/ST enumeration continued even after 1951 while other caste data collection was discontinued.
The decision to resume broader caste enumeration was announced by the Government in 2025, ahead of Census 2027, without requiring an amendment to the Census Act, 1948.
Caste data collection will be conducted as per Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) guidelines alongside the standard demographic and socio-economic questionnaire.

In the news

● Tracked since March 11, 2026 · last seen September 06, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

06 Sep '26

Reservation Beyond 50%: The Constitutional Ceiling, Caste Census, and How States Have Tried to Cross It