Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe / Caste (caste enumeration)

ANNOUNCED (Q10, reported gazette wording 'Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste'). The headline change of Census 2027: for the first time since 1931 (and first ever in independent India's census), the caste of EVERY resident is recorded, not just SC/ST status. Decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on 30 April 2025. Enumerators record caste exactly as stated by the respondent in an open column — no dropdown menu, tick-boxes or pre-fixed caste list.

In 2011 only SC/ST names were recorded against official lists (the separate SECC 2011 collected caste but its caste data was never released). Confidence: high (multiple independent reports of the 14 Aug 2026 notification; CCPA decision confirmed in the official PIB Backgrounder).