India News : The Union government has clarified the roadmap for India’s long-awaited next population census, stating that the exercise will be conducted in two distinct phases and that caste enumeration will take place only during the second phase, not at the start of the process.
Responding to a written question in the Rajya Sabha, Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that specific questions related to caste will be notified just before the commencement of the second phase of the census. He emphasized that caste-related data collection will be carried out separately and at an appropriate stage.
Timeline of the census
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the census will be divided into two major components. The actual population enumeration across most parts of the country is scheduled to begin in February 2027. However, considering difficult terrain and climatic conditions, the process will start earlier—in September 2026—in snow-bound and hilly regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
The ministry noted that these timelines were already shared publicly in December 2025, but reiterated them in Parliament to clear confusion being spread in certain quarters.
First phase: House-listing and housing census
The first phase of the census will focus on house-listing and housing enumeration. For this stage, the government notified a set of 33 questions on January 22. These include details such as the gender of the head of the household, materials used in house construction, number of married couples in a household, types of cereals consumed, access to basic amenities, and ownership of vehicles.
This phase will be conducted between April 1 and September 30, with each state selecting a 30-day window within this period based on local convenience. Notably, citizens will also be given the option to self-enumerate online, starting 15 days before the house-listing exercise begins.
Caste census in second phase
The government reiterated that the caste census will be undertaken during the second phase of the overall exercise and that a separate notification will be issued for it at the appropriate time.
Political reactions
Despite the clarification, political debate has intensified. Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, accused the Centre of lacking genuine intent to conduct a caste census, calling it a betrayal of backward classes, Dalits, and minorities. He claimed that the current notification does not include a caste column. The Congress has also raised questions over the process.
In response, the government has maintained that caste-related data collection is firmly part of the second phase and will be implemented through a dedicated notification.
The Centre has asserted that the two-phase approach is designed to ensure systematic data collection, administrative efficiency, and transparency in what is considered the world’s largest statistical exercise.
