India, Aug. 16 -- Indian citizens will be asked their caste during surveys to be conducted as part of the Census 2027, according to a new Gazette notification issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on August 14, 2026.

The question on caste will be among 13 new ones that were not part of the Census 2011 exercise. The questionnaire for Census 2011 had 29 queries.

The question related to caste is ranked number 10 in the new questionnaire and reads: "Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste."

The enumeration of caste in the census will be a first in independent India.

The notification issued by Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan on August 14 reads:

In exercise of the powers conferre...