In a first, Census 2027 will not record data on begging
In a groundbreaking shift for the 2027 Census, the data collection process will no longer include separate records for beggars and vagrants, marking a significant departure from past censuses. This change is primarily due to the declining number of non-workers and marginal workers identifying as beggars and vagrants, with only around 3.8 lakh responses recorded in the 2011 Census.
Previously, the 2011 census and earlier versions categorized beggars and vagrants as marginal and non-workers engaged in non-economic activity, along with other groups such as students, household duties, dependents, pensioners, and rentiers. However, starting with the 2027 Census, these individuals will be classified under 'others,' eliminating specific demographic information such as age, religion, state/UT, and educational status.
The decision to omit this category stems from the unreliable nature of the data collected previously, as many respondents were hesitant to self-identify due to social stigma. The census rules mandate the enumeration of occupations and non-economic activities as declared by the respondents, but the count of beggars and vagrants has been consistently low - 3.8 lakh in 2011, 6.3 lakh in 2001, and 5.4 lakh in 1991.
The new questionnaire also introduces fields for the parents' particulars, specifically their date of birth, place of birth, and religion, which will only be filled if the parents are not listed in the same household or have passed away. This change aims to provide insights into generation-wise trends of interfaith marriages and religious conversions.
Additionally, the new questionnaire requests citizens to provide mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, voter ID numbers, and Indian passport numbers, if available. While the enumerators are trained to encourage the sharing of these documents, the data remains confidential, and if a respondent is unwilling to share, they will leave the fields blank.
This will help the census team analyze which documents citizens are most reluctant to disclose due to privacy concerns.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
