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No More Bias in Policies, No More Darkness in Data: Government to Ensure Caste Transparency
India’s 16th Census to be held in 2027; Caste-based data to be included for the first time; Uttarakhand among hill states to be covered in Phase One
New Delhi/Dehradun: The Central Government has taken a historic decision to include caste-based data in the 16th National Census scheduled for 2027. While six censuses were conducted before independence (from 1872 to 1941) and seven after independence (from 1951 to 2011), none officially recorded caste-wise details. For the first time, the Union Government has granted approval for the inclusion of such data. Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting on Monday and emphasized that “the foundation of social justice schemes must be built on accurate caste-based data.” He instructed officials to ensure the exercise is conducted in a transparent and time-bound manner. The census will be completely digital and conducted in two phases. The first phase will begin on October 1, 2026, covering hill and border states including Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and the North-East, while the rest of the country will be covered from March 1, 2027, using the midnight reference point. Special instructions have been issued to districts in Uttarakhand to engage local manpower for enumeration in remote and hilly areas. Around 3.4 million enumerators will be deployed nationwide, and data will be collected using mobile applications. The Central Government will issue a formal notification on June 17 and share a detailed action plan with states. Amit Shah also appealed to the Pasmanda Muslim community to accurately declare their caste identity to ensure they receive full benefits of government welfare schemes. The government believes that this census will lay the foundation for revolutionary changes in policy-making and inclusive development across India.
