
Caste census exercise to start from March 1, 2027 across country
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The caste census exercise will start from March 1, 2027 across the country with a prior start in hilly states from October 1, 2026.Previously, the Union Cabinet has approved the inclusion of caste-based enumeration in the next national census. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by PM Narendra Modi.Since Independence, caste data has not been part of the main census operations. In 2010, then Prime Minister late Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the issue of including caste in the census would be considered. A Group of Ministers was formed to review the matter, and many political parties recommended caste enumeration. However, the Congress-led government at the time opted for a separate survey, known as the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), instead of including caste data in the official census, Vaishnaw highlighted.
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