Tue Dec 02 21:14:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the provided text, followed by a rewrite as a news article:
Summary:
On December 2, 2025, the Union Government, through Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, addressed the Lok Sabha regarding the upcoming 2027 Census. Key points include: answering all census questions, including caste, is legally binding; the census will be digital and include caste enumeration (as decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs); the census timeline is similar to previous years, despite concerns about enumerator availability; Scheduled Castes and Tribes will be enumerated according to existing constitutional orders; and the government has no plans to publicly release draft questions or broadly solicit public input, relying instead on pre-testing and internal consultations. The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases, beginning with house listing and housing census in April-September 2026, followed by population enumeration in February 2027.
News Article:
India’s 2027 Census to Legally Mandate Caste Disclosure
New Delhi, December 3, 2025 – The Union Government has confirmed that the upcoming 2027 Census will legally require citizens to disclose their caste, marking a significant departure and a historic first for independent India. The announcement was made in the Lok Sabha yesterday by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, responding to questions from opposition members.
Rai cited Section 8(2) of the Census Act, 1948, stating that respondents are “legally bound to answer such question to the best of his knowledge or belief.” This means citizens will be legally obligated to answer questions about their caste, a potentially sensitive issue in Indian society. The inclusion of caste enumeration was decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on April 30, 2025.
Opposition members, including Shatrughan Prasad Sinha of the Trinamool Congress, had questioned whether caste disclosure would be optional. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi inquired about publishing draft census questions for public input and considering state-level caste survey best practices.
Rai clarified that the government will not be publishing the draft questionnaires for general public comment but will rely on established pre-testing protocols and learnings from previous censuses. He also addressed concerns about the census timeline coinciding with school board examinations, stating that the timeline remains consistent with past censuses, despite relying heavily on primary school teachers as enumerators.
The 2027 Census, set to be India’s first digital census, will be conducted in two phases. The first, focusing on house listing and housing census, will take place between April and September 2026. Population enumeration will follow in February 2027. The enumeration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will adhere strictly to existing constitutional orders.
The mandatory caste enumeration is expected to fuel further debate on social equity and reservation policies in India.
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