Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Census 2027 questionnaire revives NPR, adds caste and ID details
India is getting ready to count all its people in a big survey called the Census in 2027.
The government made a list of 40 questions to ask everyone.
This is more questions than the last time in 2011, which had only 29.
For the very first time since India became independent, they will ask people about their caste.
They will also ask about things like where you got your Covid shot, how many bank accounts you have, and if you have an Aadhaar card or passport.
Some people are worried because these questions are like ones from an old plan called the NPR.
The NPR was stopped a few years ago, and some people thought it was gone forever.
They are scared the information could be used to make a list of who is really a citizen of India.
The government says the census will be digital this time, and people can fill it out themselves.
The big counting will happen in February 2027, but some snowy places will do it earlier in September 2026.
The Registrar General of India notified a 40-question questionnaire for Census 2027 on August 14, up from 29 questions in 2011.
For the first time since Independence, the census will record caste for the entire population, beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
New fields include spouse's name, nationality, parents' particulars, digital literacy, Covid-19 vaccination place, bank accounts, and identity documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, and driving licence.
The questionnaire overlaps with the 2019 National Population Register (NPR) rehearsal form, which critics had assumed was shelved.
Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital census, with population enumeration scheduled for February 2027 and earlier for snow-bound areas in September 2026.
Critics link the NPR-style questions to a potential National Register of Citizens (NRC), citing Section 14A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
- Who
- The Registrar General of India (RGI), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, notified the questionnaire.
- What
- The government notified a 40-question questionnaire for Census 2027, including caste and identity details, reviving NPR-style questions.
- When
- The notification was issued on Friday, August 14; population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027, with snow-bound areas in September 2026.
- Where
- India, with earlier enumeration for Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
- Why
- To conduct India's first fully digital census and collect broader demographic, caste, and identity data, which critics link to a potential NRC.
Critics / Left-liberal and Muslim organisations
Government / Modi administration
NPR revival and NRC link
Critics / Left-liberal and Muslim organisations
The NPR-style questions are a revival of a plan critics thought was dead; data could be used to prepare a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), risking exclusion of minorities.
Government / Modi administration
The questions are part of a standard census; the legal possibility of an NRC is distinct from an actual decision, and the census is not automatically an NRC exercise.
Caste enumeration
Critics / Left-liberal and Muslim organisations
Recording caste for the entire population could deepen social divisions and stigmatise communities.
Government / Modi administration
Caste data will provide India's first broad official caste data since Independence, helping policy and welfare targeting.
Identity document collection
Critics / Left-liberal and Muslim organisations
Collecting Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, and other identity details is intrusive and could be misused for citizenship verification.
Government / Modi administration
The details are conditional (e.g., 'if available') and part of building a wider picture of Indian society and resident verification.
- Notification date
- August 14, 2026 (Friday)
- Number of questions
- 40 (up from 29 in 2011)
- First-time caste enumeration
- Yes, for entire population since Independence
- Population enumeration
- February 2027 (main); September 2026 (snow-bound areas)
- Reference date
- Midnight of March 1, 2027 (rest of country); midnight of October 1, 2026 (snow-bound areas)
- Digital census
- First fully digital census with self-enumeration
- Legal basis
- Census Act, Ministry of Home Affairs notification
- Last census
- 2011