Centre Notifies 16th Census with Caste Enumeration After Long Delay

New Delhi: The Union government on Monday issued a formal notification for conducting the 16th national census, which will include caste enumeration in 2027, 16 years after the last such exercise in 2011.
The notification states that the reference date for the census will be October 1, 2026 for Ladakh and other snow-bound, non-synchronous areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. For the rest of the country, the reference date is set as March 1, 2027.
This will be the 8th census since Independence and comes at a time when crucial data on population, housing, employment, and social structure has already been long overdue.
The Centre plans to mobilise around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with 1.3 lakh census functionaries, equipped with digital devices to conduct the enumeration. A provision for self-enumeration by the public will also be introduced.
For the first time in decades, the census will include caste-based enumeration. However, the government has offered no explanation for why such a socially relevant and long-pending demand was repeatedly delayed despite consistent public and political pressure, especially from states and parties demanding data transparency on caste and backwardness.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the preparations for the census on Sunday along with Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, and other senior officials.
The census will be conducted in two phases: the first phase (Houselisting Operation) will collect information on the housing, assets, and basic amenities of households. The second phase (Population Enumeration) will record personal-level data such as demographics, socio-economic status, education, work, and culture.