Census 2027: Centre clears 40 questions, caste and Aadhaar details on list

The Census 2027 in India, set to commence next month, will include 14 new or modified questions compared to the 2011 Census. Some of these questions, such as those requesting information about a person's caste, mobile number, Aadhaar number, and voter ID, were also part of the National Population Register (NPR) schedule from 2020.

The Registrar General of India (RGI) has notified the Census questionnaire, which comprises 40 questions covering personal, parental, and demographic details, as well as education, bank accounts, and Covid-19 vaccination records. The modification of the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe question to include "caste" has been noted.

These questions, which were previously included in the NPR schedule, have reignited controversy over the potential implications for the National Register of Citizens (NRC).