Guwahati, Aug. 25 -- India's upcoming Census 2027 will introduce several changes to the information collected from households, including removing a separate category for beggars and vagrants.

The new census questionnaire has omitted "beggars and vagrants etc." from the list of non-economic activities. People identifying themselves under this category will instead be included under a broader "others" classification.

The change follows concerns over the reliability and limited returns of the category in previous censuses. Around 3.8 lakh non-workers and marginal workers identified themselves as beggars and vagrants in the 2011 Census, compared with around 6.3 lakh in 2001 and 5.4 lakh in 1991.

Officials have also pointed to the social st...