Caste count is in. Details, still hiding
The BJP-led Centre says Census 2027 will, for the first time since Independence, enumerate caste beyond SC/ST. The what and when are official. The exact questionnaire everyone is arguing about is not — yet.
The Centre has announced the caste count; the questionnaire is still awaited.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided on 30 April 2025 to include caste enumeration in Census 2027, according to the Union government’s own explainer. The BJP-led Centre says this “comprehensive caste enumeration” will happen in Phase II, the Population Enumeration scheduled for February 2027 for most of India, with a March 1, 2027 reference date. That is the part in writing.
What is not in writing, at least not in any government notification the Centre has published where the public can read it, is the viral claim about a 40-question schedule notified on August 14, 2026 and a specific “Question 10” format. The government’s last on-record line in March–April 2026 was that Phase II questions, including caste, “will be notified before the commencement” of the enumeration. If that later notification exists, Delhi can post the PDF.
For readers in Telangana, the significance is simple: a real caste count can clean up policy fights long run on guesswork. But it needs clarity, not vibes. The Census Act’s confidentiality provisions still apply — the Centre itself stresses that — and the exact wording and publication plan decide whether the data will be useful or just another political slogan.
So yes, caste will be counted in the regular Census for the first time in independent India beyond SC/ST. The BJP-led Centre now needs to show the questionnaire it says will do it, not make states and citizens chase hearsay.