"Inter-Ministerial Dispute Surfaces Over Caste Census 2027 Methodology"
Open-ended question format
a Census question that records the respondent's self-reported caste name without a pre-defined list of options.
Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC)
a 2011 survey that attempted caste enumeration separately from the decennial Census, generating unusable data.
India's decennial Census is governed by the Census Act, 1948, which vests enumeration authority in the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Caste was counted in every Census from 1881 to 1931 under British administration. The 1931 Census recorded 4,147 distinct caste names and remains the last comprehensive caste count in Indian history. After Independence, the Constituent Assembly made a deliberate policy choice: only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), notified through Presidential Orders under Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution, would be counted. Other Backward Classes (OBCs) were excluded from enumeration.
This exclusion created a persistent data vacuum. The Mandal Commission (1980) was forced to estimate OBCs at 52% of the population using 1931 data, a figure contested for decades. The 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), conducted under the UPA government, attempted to fill this gap but yielded nearly 46.7 lakh distinct caste names, making the data statistically unmanageable. The raw caste data was never made public. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) approved caste enumeration in Census 2027 on April 30, 2025, reversing the government's earlier position on the issue.
The central methodological debate in caste census design involves two competing approaches. The first is an open-ended question that simply records whatever caste name a respondent offers. This is the approach chosen for Census 2027. Its stated rationale is that the state should not become an arbiter of caste identities by pre-defining which castes exist. However, the 2011 SECC demonstrated the practical failure of this approach: without a pre-given list, a single caste known by multiple regional names generates dozens of distinct entries, making post-coding and standardisation nearly impossible.
The second approach uses a pre-defined list or drop-down menu of caste categories. The Census already uses this method for notified SCs and STs. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) maintains a Central List of OBCs comprising 2,483 entries, and the SC list has 1,258 entries. …
Consider the following statements about the provisions pertaining to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in India:
1.Provisions regarding the administration of the Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are given in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
2.Some tribes of India are entitled to exemption from paying Income Tax on certain incomes.
3.The Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats in Panchayats for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct?
Consider the following statements regarding 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam':
1.These provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha.
2.After becoming an Act, this will be in force for 15 years.
3.It has provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the constitutional and legal framework for caste enumeration in India:
1.The Constitution of India mandates the government to maintain a comprehensive list of all castes.
2.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are notified through Presidential Orders under Articles 341 and 342 respectively.
3.Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948 prevents Census responses from being used to claim reservation benefits in any court.
4.The Central List of Other Backward Classes is maintained by the National Commission for Backward Classes.
How many of the above statements are correct?
With reference to the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), consider the following statements:
1.It was conducted under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
2.It generated approximately 46.7 lakh distinct caste names.
3.Its caste data was published by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2016.
4.It cost approximately Rs 4,900 crore.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following lists related to caste enumeration in India:
List I (Institution/Document)
A.National Commission for Backward Classes
B.Articles 341 and 342
C.Section 15, Census Act 1948
D.Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
List II (Function/Provision)
1.Notifies Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes through Presidential Orders
2.Approved caste enumeration in Census 2027 in April 2025
3.Maintains the Central List of OBCs with 2,483 entries
4.Legally firewalls Census responses from reservation claims
Consider the following statements about the 1931 Census of India:
1.It was the last Census to record caste data for the general population, including OBCs.
2.It recorded 4,147 distinct caste names.
3.The Mandal Commission used its data to estimate OBCs at 52% of the population.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI) and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) in the context of Census 2027, consider the following statements:
1.ORGI functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
2.MoSJE maintains the Central List of OBCs through the National Commission for Backward Classes.
3.The Constitution of India explicitly mandates MoSJE to maintain a comprehensive list of all castes in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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