Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Census 2027 to Collect Caste, Aadhaar, Mobile and Bank Details
Every ten years, India counts all the people who live in it, and that big count is called a census.
The next one is named Census 2027.
This time, the government will ask every person about their caste, which has not been done for everyone since India became independent.
The government will also ask for people's mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, voter card numbers, passport numbers, driving licence status and how many bank accounts they have.
Aadhaar is an identity number that Indian people use.
People can fill in the answers themselves on a computer or phone, or answer a census worker who comes to their home.
Their answers will be kept private, and only combined numbers for areas will be made public.
If a census worker asks a rude or improper question, that worker can be punished with jail time of up to three years.
Census 2027 will collect caste details from all respondents for the first time since Independence, extending beyond the traditional Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories.
For the first time, the census will collect mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, voter ID numbers, passport numbers, driving licence status and the number of bank accounts held by individuals.
The Registrar General of India notified 40 questions on Friday, August 14; under the Census Act, 1948, respondents are required to answer to the best of their knowledge or belief.
Self-enumeration runs August 17-31, with population enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from September 1-30.
The Union Cabinet approved Rs 11,718 crore for the census, originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Who
- The Government of India and the Registrar General of India, which notified the 40 census questions; Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, who responded to a written question from TMC MP Shatrughan Prasad Sinha on whether caste disclosure would be optional.
- What
- Census 2027 will, for the first time since Independence, collect caste details from all respondents along with personal information including mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, voter ID and passport numbers, driving licence status and bank account holdings, among 40 notified questions.
- When
- The questions were notified on Friday, August 14; self-enumeration runs August 17-31; population enumeration in snow-bound areas runs September 1-30; enumeration in the rest of the country begins next year.
- Where
- New Delhi, where the questions were notified, and across India, starting with Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
- Why
- To enumerate the caste-wise population for the first time since Independence under the Census Act, 1948; individual data is kept confidential and only aggregated data is published.
- Census
- Census 2027, India's decadal population count
- Caste enumeration decision
- Approved on April 30 by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- New personal data collected
- Mobile number, Aadhaar number, voter ID, passport number, driving licence status and bank account holdings
- Questions notified
- 40 questions notified by the Registrar General of India
- Self-enumeration window
- August 17-31
- First enumeration areas
- Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand (September 1-30)
- Approved budget
- Rs 11,718 crore by the Union Cabinet
- Legal framework
- Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990
Sources
Census 2027 to seek bank account details, Aadhaar, voter ID and passport numbers alongside caste
Census 2027 to collect mobile, Aadhaar, bank accounts, ID details alongside caste
Census 2027: What personal details will you have to disclose?
