Census 2026 to include caste questions for first time as Centre notifies 40 queries

The population enumeration phase of the Census is set to begin from September 1 in snow-bound areas. REPRESENTATION PIC

The Centre on Friday notified 40 questions, including for the first time queries on caste, to be asked of respondents during the population enumeration phase of the Census, set to begin from September 1 in snow-bound areas, a government order said.

The order from Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan notifies questions such as whether the person belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe and their caste.

The population enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, will take place from September 1 to 30. In the rest of the country, the population enumeration (PE) will begin next year. This will be the first time when caste details will be collected as part of the Census.

The respondents will also be asked for personal details, such as marital status, age at marriage, spouse name, nationality, religion, Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST), caste, particulars of parents, disability, mother tongue, and other languages known, literacy, and digital literacy status, among others.

The biggest headcount of the world will be a totally digital enterprise. The respondents will also be asked about the place of Covid-19 vaccination, total number of bank accounts, mobile number, Aadhaar Number, Voter ID number, Passport number, and whether they possess a driving licence. The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore to carry out the Census exercise.

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