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Explained: India's 2027 census to include caste count, trigger delimitation

After a nearly six-year delay, India's decennial census is finally back on the agenda. It would be conducted in two phases along with the enumeration of castes. India's population census is expected to be released on March 1, 2027. Here is everything known so far. What is the census and why it matters India's census is the largest population count in the world, conducted every 10 years by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It collects detailed data on age, sex, language, religion, education, occupation, housing, and more, forming the bedrock of policy planning, welfare targeting, infrastructure development, and electoral boundary drawing. The upcoming 2027 census is expected to be 'digital-first' for quicker processing. This will also be the first time since 1931, that the census will include a nationwide caste enumeration. Timeline and structure of census 2027 The exercise will unfold in two key phases: House listing (March–September 2026): Data on housing and households. Population Enumeration (February 2027): The actual headcount. Reference date: March 1, 2027 (October 1, 2026 for snow-bound Himalayan regions, such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir). Final data: Likely released around late 2027 to 2030, after cleaning and verification. The government has committed 2.5-3 million enumerators to the task, with digital systems expected to reduce processing time. Nationwide caste census returns India will count castes across all communities, not just Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), marking a historic policy shift. What's a caste census? A caste census systematically records the caste identities of individuals, providing detailed socio-economic data across all caste groups. This data collection aims to inform and refine government policies, ensuring that welfare schemes and reservation benefits are effectively targeted to address disparities and promote social justice. It also gathers socio-economic data (education, income, employment, etc), which can influence reservation policies and welfare schemes. Why has the Centre agreed to conduct a caste census? The renewed push for a caste census stems from mounting political pressure by the opposition INDIA bloc. Recent state-level surveys in Bihar, Karnataka, and Telangana have also revealed a significant share of OBC and EBC populations, prompting calls to update outdated data. The current 27 per cent OBC quota still relies on figures from the 1931 census, highlighting the need for a more accurate and contemporary demographic assessment. Delimitation to follow the census The next delimitation exercise is expected after the 2027 census, the first since 2011. To do so, Parliament must enact a new Delimitation Act and may need to amend Article 81 to increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats, currently capped at 550. The Delimitation Commission will then redraw constituency boundaries based on updated population data. The 42nd and 84th Amendments froze seat allocation across states until after the census conducted post-2026. What is delimitation, and why is it contentious? Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies to reflect population changes. Mandated by Article 82 of the Constitution, it ensures equal representation by adjusting seats based on the latest census data. The last delimitation was based on the 2001 census, but the number of Lok Sabha seats (543) has remained unchanged since 1976. Southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which have successfully controlled population growth, fear losing representation in Parliament. In contrast, northern states with higher population growth, such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, stand to gain more seats. This potential shift has caused southern state leaders to raise concerns about penalising states that have implemented effective population control measures. However, the 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament (passed in 2023) is linked to delimitation, further complicating matters. Why has the census been delayed? Originally due in 2021, India's decennial census has faced repeated postponements, making it the longest delay in the country's census history. The government initially cited the Covid-19 pandemic as the main reason for the delay. The house-listing phase was set to begin in 2020 but was paused as the pandemic hit. Subsequent delays occurred even after normalcy returned, with no formal explanation provided by the government. Critics have questioned the prolonged pause, pointing to the risks of outdated data being used for welfare schemes, resource allocation, and policy decisions in the world's most populous country.