Overview
- In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said caste data will be collected during Population Enumeration and that the second‑phase questionnaire will be finalised and officially notified before that phase begins.
- The government has already notified 33 questions for the first phase on January 22, with house‑listing to run for 30 days per state between April 1 and September 30 using a digital‑first approach with a 15‑day self‑enumeration window.
- Reference dates are set as October 1, 2026 for Ladakh and other snow‑bound non‑synchronous areas and March 1, 2027 for the rest of the country.
- About 30 lakh enumerators and supervisors and roughly 1.3 lakh census functionaries will conduct the exercise using mobile apps and secure systems, backed by a Cabinet allocation of Rs 11,718 crore.
- The Home Ministry noted multiple representations on caste enumeration from organisations and states including Tamil Nadu, and reporting indicates the final caste questionnaire details may only be known closer to September for snow‑bound areas, with most states set to enumerate caste in February 2027.