The Centre has finalised 40 questions for Census 2027’s second phase. During enumeration, officials will collect Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, caste and COVID vaccination details. Moreover, this exercise will become the first comprehensive caste count since 1931. Census 2027 will also mark India’s first completely digital population enumeration.
The government has officially notified all 40 questions for the second phase. Respondents will provide information regarding SC, ST and caste identity. Additionally, officials will gather several personal, educational, economic and migration-related details.
The questionnaire will seek each person’s name and relationship with the household head. It will also record gender, birth date, completed age and current marital status. Furthermore, officials will ask marriage age and spouse name. Respondents must also provide declared nationality and religion.
Questions will cover SC, ST or caste status. Officials will also collect information about fathers and mothers. The questionnaire includes disability status, mother tongue and other known languages.
Literacy and digital literacy will also form part of the enumeration. Moreover, people must state their current educational institution status. Officials will record the highest educational qualification alongside subject or stream.
Work, Migration and Family Details Form Major Part of Questionnaire
The census will ask whether someone worked during the previous year. It will also record economic activity category, occupation and industry type. Trade or service details will feature alongside worker classification.
For marginal, semi-marginal and non-workers, officials will collect non-economic activity information. Additionally, they will ask whether such people seek work or remain available for employment.
Commuting details will also feature in the questionnaire. Officials will record birthplace and previous residence. Respondents must explain migration reasons and residence duration after their latest move.
The census will also collect permanent residential addresses. Furthermore, specific fertility-related questions will apply to women.
Currently married, widowed, divorced and separated women will report their number of living children. They will also state total children born alive.
Currently married women must additionally report live births during the previous year.
Bank Accounts, Aadhaar and COVID Vaccination Details Will Also Feature
Officials will ask respondents about their COVID-19 vaccination location. The questionnaire will also record total bank accounts.
People may provide mobile numbers when available. Similarly, Aadhaar numbers can be shared if available. Voter identification numbers will also feature under the same condition.
Indian passport holders will provide passport numbers. Furthermore, respondents will state whether they possess a driving licence.
Earlier, the Registrar General of India notified 33 questions for Census 2027’s first phase during January. That stage focused on house listing and housing information.
The earlier questionnaire also asked whether household heads belonged to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or “Other” categories.
Meanwhile, the Registrar General’s office under the Home Ministry has released the household schedule for Census 2027. This questionnaire includes SC, ST and caste-related information. It also contains a question concerning COVID vaccination.
The second phase, called Population Enumeration, is proposed for February 2027. Officials will gather demographic, socio-economic, educational, migration and fertility information during this stage. They will also collect other necessary details.
Caste enumeration will take place during the same phase. Therefore, Census 2027 will record caste information comprehensively for the first time at this scale.
