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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Next Census to conclude by March 2027, says government
The next Census exercise, to be held after a long 16-year gap, will be finished by March 1, 2027, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Wednesday (June 4, 2025). This will be the first digital Census for India, and will include caste-based details as well. The census will be conducted in two phases by February 28, 2027, and the data will have a reference date of 12 a.m. on March 1, 2027. The government has, although, not yet notified when the exercise will begin. The notification of the Centre's intention to conduct the census, and the dates of the two phases will be 'published in the official gazette tentatively on June 16 as per provision of section 3 of the Census Act 1948.' For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date for the population count will be 12 a.m. on October 1, 2026. As per the constitutional mandate, the first census after 2026 can be used as the basis to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies. The next general election is expected to be held in 2029. India's census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990, and will be completed in two phases: first, the house listing and housing schedule; and then, the population enumeration. Both phases usually span a period of 11 months from April 1 to February 28 the following year. This time around, caste will be enumerated in the second phase. 'A significant addition to the training manual would be the enumeration of caste. Another drop box to record the castes is likely to be added next to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) tables, the only two categories counted so far,' a senior government official said. The Hindu's Editorials The Hindu's Daily Quiz Landslide in an army camp of which State led to the death of three soldiers? Chhattisgarh Jharkhand Sikkim Mizoram To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here.
The Print
3 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Long-pending census exercise to be held in 2 phases over next 3 yrs, will include caste data
According to a statement by the government, the reference date for Population Census 2027 will be 00:00 hours of 1 March, 2027. The long pending exercise will be conducted after 14 years. The last was conducted in 2010. New Delhi: In a major development, the Centre Wednesday announced that the population census exercise will be held in two phases along with the enumeration of castes, in the next three years. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of 1 October, 2026. The notification with the above reference dates will be published in the official gazette tentatively on 16 June 2025, as per the provision of section 3 of Census Act 1948, the statement said. According to a source in the government, the process of census begins with issuance of the notification. 'The notification of intent will be published in the official gazette on 16 June, 2025, tentatively. The second and final phase of the census will begin in February 2027 and conclude on 1 March, 2027,' the source said. The Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases. In phase I, house listing was done from 1 April to 30 September, 2010. In phase II, population enumeration was done on 9 February to 28 February 2011, with reference date 00:00 hours of 1 March 2011, except for snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for which it was conducted during 11 to 30 September 2010 with reference date as 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2010. Also Read: BrahminGenes Anuradha Tiwari has launched a war on caste census. 'A betrayal by Modi govt' Enumeration of caste alongside enumeration of population What is new in this exercise is also that the enumeration of caste will also take place alongside enumeration of population. Caste was never included in any census since Independence. The Congress-led UPA government had, in 2011, enumerated caste data as part of its Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), but the figures were never made public. The Modi-led NDA government had in 2021 ruled out a caste census. In a reply to Lok Sabha, the Centre had said that it had decided, as a matter of policy, not to enumerate caste-wise data beyond SCs and STs. In its affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court, the Centre had said that 'population Census is not the ideal instrument for collection of details on caste' as 'the operational difficulties are so many that there is a grave danger that basic integrity of census data may be compromised and the fundamental population could itself get distorted'. Since then, the BJP had maintained an ambiguous stance on the issue, often accusing the Congress of using the caste census demand to create societal divisions. But in April the government announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next census exercise. A delay due to COVID-19 The Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases in a similar manner with phase I during April-September 2020 and second phase in February 2021. This, however, could not materialise. 'All the preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed and field work was scheduled to begin in some states and UTs from 1 April, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed,' the statement said. (Edited by Viny Mishra)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Census from April 2026: Caste enumeration to be part of exercise; early start in J&K, Uttarakhand
NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday announced that the next nationwide population census to start from April 1, 2026 and will, for the first time in over seven decades, include caste enumeration. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Census will be conducted in two phases under the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990. Reference date will be March 1, 2027. In snow-bound and non-synchronous regions including Ladakh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the census will begin earlier, from October 2026. The reference date for these areas will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026, while for the rest of the country it will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027. A formal notification outlining these reference dates is expected to be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025. Reference date is the date to which population count relates. Also read: The decision to include caste data was confirmed earlier by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw following a Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting held on April 30. Vaishnaw said the move was aimed at ensuring transparency and consistency, and to address concerns over varying approaches adopted by states. 'Some states have conducted caste surveys transparently, but others have not. These inconsistencies have created doubts and could disturb social harmony,' he said. The announcement comes as India prepares to undertake its first population census since 2011. The last census was conducted in two phases—House Listing and Housing Census from April to September 2010, and Population Enumeration in February 2011. Census 2021 had also been planned in a similar manner, but was indefinitely postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Preparations for the 2021 census had been completed and fieldwork was set to begin on April 1, 2020, when the pandemic hit. The inclusion of caste data in the upcoming census is considered a landmark development, especially since the last comprehensive caste-based count was done by the British between 1881 and 1931. The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) conducted in 2011 under the UPA government did collect caste data, but it was never fully published or utilised. Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India, had earlier said that a caste census is essential to uncover deep-seated structural inequalities and to formulate inclusive policies.
