Census 2027 Kicks Off April 1, 33 Questions Over Six Months In Phase 1

1. Houselisting operations, or HLO, lists out all structures, houses, and households to create a data-backed foundation for the next phase, i.e., population enumeration or PE. The 33 questions will cover details about households, living conditions, and access to basic amenities.
2. Census Commissioner of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said details like materials used to build the structure, purpose for which it is being used, number of people living in it (if any), building ownership details, and number of rooms, will be asked.
3. Enumerators will also collect information on amenities, including the availability of drinking water (and main source, if available), source of electricity, access to (and type) of latrine, and waste management, as well as type of gas connections used as primary cooking fuel, he said.
4. People will also be asked if they own items like radios or televisions, about their internet access (and details about computers, mobile phones they might own), and about registered four- or two-wheeled vehicles. Answers can also be submitted via forms available in 16 languages, so long as these are submitted in a 15-day window preceding start of HLOs in a state or UT.
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5. An estimated 30 lakh census operators will use specially developed mobile phone apps - available for iPhones and Android devices, and which can work without an internet connection - to capture all data. Recorded data will remain strictly confidential, the government said.
6. The PE stage, will begin March 1, 2027, though it will begin as early as October 2026 in snow-bound states and union territories, such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
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7. The phase headline point is that there will be questions about an individual's caste and sub-caste. Caste enumeration - a demand pressed fiercely by the opposition - was announced months before last year's election in Bihar, where over 63 per cent of the population comes from Backward or Extremely Backward Classes.
8. In India, where caste has historically shaped social, economic, and political dynamics, census-raised caste data can give insights into demographic distribution, socio-economic conditions, and representation of various caste groups. This will inform policies on affirmative action, reservations, and social justice.
9. In India the census is conducted every decade. The last count was in 2011. In 2021 it was abandoned because of the pandemic. The opposition had pushed for the census to be held in 2027, arguing it is necessary to have an accurate, up-to-date count of population and socio-economic data for effective policy-making.
10. The last comprehensive caste-based count was done by the Britishers between 1881 and 1931. Caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since Independence.
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With input from agencies