Caste Enumeration UPSC relevant
Caste enumeration means recording every respondent's caste, not just SC/ST status. The last census to publish full caste data was 1931; since 1951 only SCs and STs were enumerated.
On April 30, 2025 the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided that Census 2027 will include caste enumeration in the Population Enumeration phase, and PIB confirmed the two-phase census 'along with enumeration of castes' on June 4, 2025. The 40-question Household Schedule notified on August 14, 2026 implements this: question 10 is an open column where the enumerator records caste exactly as declared, without a pre-fixed list; a July 2026 pre-test in 16 States/UTs rehearsed the procedure.
The resulting data are expected to reshape OBC policy, reservation debates and welfare targeting.