Census 2027 to have 40 questions, including details of caste, COVID vaccination, ID proofs

The Census is a Union subject under Article 246 of the Indian Constitution, listed as entry 69 in the Union List (Seventh Schedule). The exercise is conducted under the legal framework of the Census Act, 1948, which mandates citizen participation while assuring the confidentiality of individual data. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is the nodal authority for conducting this decennial exercise. The delay of this census, originally scheduled for 2021, has cascading effects on governance, notably freezing the data used for delimitation of constituencies and the implementation of welfare schemes under the National Food Security Act, 2013. The inclusion of identification details like Aadhaar raises questions regarding data privacy and the potential linkage of census data with other government databases, despite the Census Act, 1948 prohibiting the use of census data as evidence in courts.

The decision to enumerate 'caste' for the general population is a monumental shift in Indian demographic data collection. Historically, post-independence censuses have only enumerated Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to fulfill the constitutional mandate for political reservation (Articles 330 and 332). The inclusion of an open column for caste addresses a long-standing demand from various political groups for a Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) to quantify the Other Backward Classes (OBC) population and evaluate the effectiveness of affirmative action policies (Article 15(4) and 16(4)). This data could potentially reshape reservation quotas, currently capped at 50% by the Indra Sawhney judgment, if empirical evidence demonstrates severe under-representation. However, critics argue that a caste census might exacerbate societal divisions and fuel identity politics.

The expanded scope of the 2027 Census reflects a modernization of demographic data collection to suit contemporary governance needs. The inclusion of questions regarding digital literacy, bank accounts, and smartphone availability will provide crucial data for assessing the penetration of the government's Digital India initiatives and financial inclusion schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. Collecting data on Aadhaar numbers, Voter IDs, and Passports indicates a move toward creating a more comprehensive demographic profile, which could aid in targeted service delivery and the rationalization of subsidies through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Furthermore, the detailed questions on migration—reasons, duration, and origin—are vital for urban planning, housing policies, and addressing the vulnerabilities of migrant laborers, a critical issue highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.