In addition, caste census will be held for the first time after independence. This will be the first time after 1931 when the data of all castes of the country will be collected. Some new questions have been included in this census which focus on the parameters of modern lifestyle and development. These new questions include internet connections in the house, availability of mobile and smartphones, source of drinking water, type of gas connections, availability of vehicles and types of grains used in home.

Why are these 6 questions important?

1. There is an internet connection in the house?- The purpose of this question is to assess digital connectivity. The government wants to know how many families have internet connection and how many devices are being used. This data will help measure the progress of Digital India initiative and will help in understanding digital divide in rural and urban areas.

2. Mobile phone and smartphone and whose owners are owned?- Under this question, it will be asked how many mobile phones and smartphones are in the family and who owns them. This data will help measure access to mobile and smartphone, which is important in education, financial inclusion and use of digital services.

3. What is the source of drinking water indoors?- The source of drinking water is an important health and hygiene indicator. Through this question, the government wants to know that families use wells, hand pumps, taps, bottled water or other sources. This water will help in measuring the progress of schemes like life mission.

4. What kind of gas connection is there?- In this question it will be asked what type of fuel the family uses- LPG, PNG, wood, dung condes or others. This will help in understanding the success of programs like clean energy and Ujjwala Yojana.

5. Which vehicle is there?- Under this question, information about available vehicles like bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, car, jeep or van will be collected with the family. This data will be helpful in the analysis of transport and economic status.

6. What kind of grain do you use in the house?- This question has been included to understand the status of food security and nutrition. The government wants to know that families mainly use wheat, tide, millet, maize, ragi or other grains. This will help promote the use of data millions and improve food policies.

Digital Census: A new era

The paperless process will be adopted for the first time in census 2027. For this, a special mobile app and auto-calculation portal have been developed, where people can enter their information online. Each person will be provided a unique ID number, which will ensure the privacy and accuracy of the data. In addition, the accuracy of data collection will be increased using GPS technology, and problems will be resolved immediately with the help of field support and diagnostic tools. Caste data will also be collected in Census 2027 for the first time after independence.

Census 2027 figures will not only help the government to make policies, but will also provide the basis for the delimitation commission to be set up in 2026. This commission will use data for new demarcation of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats, causing a debate about the loss of parliamentary seats due to population control policies in the southern states.

Notification issued for census

16 years after the last census held in 2011, the government issued a notification on Monday to conduct India's 16th Census in 2027, including caste calculations. The notification states that the census in icy areas like Ladakh will be done on the reference date of October 2026 and the reference date of March 2027 in the rest of the country.

It said, "Reference date for the said census will be held on March 1, 2027 at the Union Territory of Ladakh and Union Territory of Jammu, Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, besides snow-turn areas, on March 1, 2027." It says that Ladakh and Union Territory will be the reference date for the snow-capped areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

13,000 crore rupees may cost

This huge work of providing population data from across the country will be done by about 34 lakh calculators and supervisors and about 1.3 lakh census personnel equipped with digital equipment. The government is expected to spend 13 thousand crore rupees on this. A government statement said that caste calculations will also be done along with census. Caste census will also be done in the upcoming census, which will be the first time after independence. The previous comprehensive caste-based calculations were held by the British between 1881 and 1931. Caste was excluded from all census works done since independence.

A government statement said that this is the 16th census since the introduction of the census work and is the eighth census after independence. According to Article 246 of the Constitution, the census is the subject listed at 69th position in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule. Census is the primary source of data collection from every section of the society and a decadal activity. The decision to include caste census in the upcoming census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on political affairs under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 April. According to Census 2011, the country's population was 121.019 crore, out of which 62.372 crore (51.54 percent) were male and 58.646 crore (48.46 percent) women were.