Census 2027: The New Questions, the Caste Count and How Enumerators Are Trained
India's 16th Census (Census 2027) is being held in two phases. Phase 1, the Houselisting and Housing Census, ran from April to September 2026 with 33 questions about each house and its amenities.
Phase 2, Population Enumeration (counting and describing every person), uses a 40-question Household Schedule notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 14 August 2026. Census 2011 had 29 questions in this phase.
For the first time in independent India, the Census asks every person about their caste (question 10: "Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) / Caste"). Caste is to be written as the person declares it.
Other new questions include digital literacy, the number of bank accounts, the place of Covid-19 vaccination, mobile number, and whether a person has an Aadhaar number, Voter ID, passport or driving licence.
This is India's first digital Census. Enumerators (the field staff who visit homes) collect data on mobile apps in English, Hindi and regional languages, and citizens can also self-enumerate on a web portal before the visit.
Training follows a three-tier cascade: national trainers train master trainers, master trainers train field trainers, and field trainers train the roughly 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, most of whom are government school teachers. The main reference date is 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027; for snow-bound areas it is 1 October 2026.
Census of India: Constitutional and Legislative Basis
The Census is the official count of every person living in India, done roughly once every ten years. It also records details about each person and each house, such as age, sex, religion, language, education, work, migration and housing. Census is a Union subject, so only the central government can conduct it. It is run by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The new questions and the app-based training show how the Census is changing from paper forms to digital collection. Because the Census Act protects confidentiality, sensitive new details like caste, bank accounts and ID numbers must be kept secure, which is a key part of what enumerators are trained on.
Caste Enumeration in the Census: From 1931 to Census 2027
Caste enumeration means recording the caste of every person during the Census. Since Independence, India's Census has counted only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), because the Constitution gives them reserved seats and special protection. All other castes, including the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), were not counted. Census 2027 changes this: for the first time since 1931, every person's caste is being recorded.
The caste question is the biggest new item in Census 2027's population form. Because caste names vary so much, enumerator training focuses on recording the answer exactly as declared, so that the data can later be classified correctly and the mistakes seen in the SECC 2011 are avoided.
- Census 2027: India's 16th Census, first digital Census, first with caste enumeration since 1931
- Phase 1 (Houselisting and Housing Census): April to September 2026, 33 questions
- Phase 2 (Population Enumeration): 40 questions (29 in Census 2011), notified 14 August 2026
- Reference date: 00:00 hours, 1 March 2027; snow-bound areas: 1 October 2026
- New questions include caste, digital literacy, number of bank accounts, place of Covid-19 vaccination, mobile number, Aadhaar, Voter ID, passport and driving licence
- Data collected on mobile apps (English, Hindi and regional languages); self-enumeration via web portal
- Training cascade: national trainers → master trainers → field trainers → enumerators and supervisors
- About 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors
- Legal basis: Census Act, 1948; Entry 69, Union List; run by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India (Ministry of Home Affairs)