Caste to Covid Vax: What Census 2027 Questionnaire Will Ask You

New Delhi: The Centre on Friday notified 40 questions for the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, including for the first time queries on caste and digital literacy, even as the Congress raised doubts over the manner in which caste information would be recorded.

The order from Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan notifies questions such as whether the person belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe and their caste.

The caste of the person, sources said, will be recorded as revealed by the respondent, without having specific names of castes printed on the form.

The Congress, however, questioned the approach to caste enumeration, saying the absence of a list of castes, with responses instead recorded as provided by respondents, raised "serious doubts on intent". It also said there had been no discussion with political parties.

The questionnaire will cover marital status, age at marriage, spouse's name, nationality, religion, particulars of parents, disability, mother tongue and other languages known, literacy status and the place of Covid vaccination.

"For the conduct of the above Census, there shall be an option for self-enumeration from August 17 to 31 just before the start of house-to-house population enumeration, " the notification said. In the rest of the country, population enumeration will begin next year.

The first phase of the Census from September 1 to 30 covers Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Respondents will also be asked about attendance at an educational institution, highest educational level, stream and discipline, whether they worked at any time during the last year, category of economic activity, occupation, nature of industry, trade or service, class of worker and whether they are engaged in non-economic activity.

Questions on availability for work for marginal, semi-marginal and non-workers and travel to the place of work will also form part of the questionnaire.

Enumerators will seek details of respondents' birthplace, place of last residence, reason for migration, duration of stay in the village or town since the last migration and permanent residential address.

Currently married, widowed, divorced and separated women will be asked about the number of children surviving at present, the number of children in the current marriage and the number of children born alive in the last year.

Respondents will also be asked about the place of Covid-19 vaccination, total number of bank accounts, mobile number, Aadhaar number, Voter ID number, passport number and whether they possess a driving licence.

The first phase, house listing and housing census (HLO), is on till September 30. Field visits for the exercise began on April 16 in several states and Union territories.

Criticising the government for its approach to caste census, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it had been widely expected that the caste question would be asked using a pre-prepared state-wise list, as was done in the Bihar and Telangana caste surveys, with the response appropriately marked.

"This has, unfortunately, not happened, raising serious doubts on intent," Ramesh said on X.

He also shared Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's May 5, 2025, letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the caste census.

Kharge had urged the Prime Minister to draw upon the Telangana model and hold a dialogue with all political parties on the issue. He had said caste information should be collected not merely for counting but to achieve larger socio-economic objectives.

"The recently-concluded Telangana caste survey was designed and implemented with such goals in mind. The Union Home Ministry must draw upon the Telangana model--both the methodology adopted for finalising the questionnaire as well as the final set of questions asked," the Congress president had said.

The decision to include caste enumeration was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30 last year. The decadal Census, which was due in 2021, was postponed following the Covid-19 outbreak.

Full list of 40 questions to be asked during Census 2027:

1. Name of the person

2. Relationship to head

3. Sex

4. Date of Birth and Age (in completed years)

5. Current Marital Status

6. Age at Marriage (in completed years)

7. Spouse Name

8. Nationality as declared

9. Religion.

10. Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste

11. Father's Particulars

12. Mother's Particulars

13. Disability

14. Mother Tongue and other languages known

15. Literacy and digital literacy status

16. Status of attendance in educational institution

17. Highest educational level attained and Stream/Discipline

18. Worked any time during last year

19. Category of economic activity

20. Occupation

21. Nature of industry, trade or service

22. Class of worker

23. Non-economic activity (for marginal, semi-marginal and non-worker)

24. Secking or available for work (for marginal, semi-marginal and non-worker)

25. Travel to place of work

26. Birth place

27. Place of Inst residence

28. Reason for migration

29. Duration of stay in this village/town since last migration

30. Permanent Residential Address

31. Number of children surviving at present (for currently married, widowed, divorced and separated women only)

32. Number of children ever born alive (for currently married, widowed, divorced and separated women only)

33. Number of children born alive during last one year (for currently married women only)

34. Place of Covid-19 Vaccination

35. Total number of Bank Accounts

36. Mobile Number (if available)

37. Aadhaar Number (if available)

38. Voter ID Number (if available)

39. Passport Number (if Indian Passport holder)

40. Availability of Driving License