Paper: GS-II, Subject: Society and social justice, Topic: Population and Associated Issues, Issue: the 16th Census of India
Context:
The Government has formally announced that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with reference dates set as March 1, 2027 for most of the country, and October 1, 2026 for snow-bound and remote regions such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
- The notification under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 appeared in the Gazette on Monday. The house-listing phase will run for several months in 2026 before the population count begins in early 2027.
| What is a Caste Census? A caste census involves collecting data on the caste identity of citizens during population enumeration. The last caste-wise Census was in 1931 under British rule. Currently there are about 2,650 OBC communities in the Central list, 1,170 in the SC category, and 890 communities in the ST list. The State governments maintain their own list of OBC groups. The caste census will be integrated into the 2027 Census Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) The SECC, initiated in 2011, aimed to assess the socio-economic status of households and collect caste details. It was distinct from the regular Census and conducted to identify deprivation and aid in welfare targeting. The data from the SECC were handed to the Ministry of Social Justice. However, the caste data from SECC remains unpublished due to issues like inconsistent caste name entries (over 46 lakh variations) and classification challenges. |
Challenges and Solutions in the Populations Census:
Recommendations for conducting 16th Census:
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/india-census-new-2027-10069544
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