Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Caste, religion, Covid-19 vaccination details, Aadhaar and mobile phone numbers are among the 40 questions citizens will be asked during Census 2027 as the Centre has finalised the questionnaire.
According to an order issued by the Registrar General of India, the questionnaire will seek details including whether a respondent belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, as well as their caste.
advertisement
This will mark the first time caste information is being collected as part of the decennial Census, which was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting Census 2027.
The population enumeration phase will begin on September 1 in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The exercise in these areas will continue until September 30.
An online self-enumeration facility will be available from August 17 to 31, ahead of the door-to-door exercise.
For the rest of the country, population enumeration will be carried out next year.
CASTE, RELIGION, FAMILY DETAILS
The 40-point questionnaire will seek a range of demographic and personal information. Respondents will be asked about their age, marital status, age at marriage, spouse, nationality and religion.
Details of parents, mother tongue and other languages known, literacy and digital literacy will also be recorded.
For women who are currently married, widowed, divorced or separated, the questionnaire will include questions on the number of surviving children, children from the current marriage and children born alive during the previous year.
The caste question is a major addition to the Census exercise.
The questionnaire is not expected to provide a predefined list of castes; instead, respondents will state their caste and the information will be recorded accordingly, according to sources.
The decision to include caste in the Census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April last year.
COVID-19 JABS, BANK ACCOUNTS, AADHAAR
The questionnaire will also touch on several areas of everyday life and documentation.
Respondents will be asked about the place where they received their Covid-19 vaccination, the number of bank accounts they hold and their mobile number.
They will also be asked whether they possess documents including an Aadhaar card, Voter ID and passport, as well as whether they hold a driving licence.
The exercise is planned as a fully digital Census, with data collection and processing being carried out through digital systems.
JOBS, EDUCATION, MIGRATION
The Census will also collect extensive information about education and employment.
Respondents will be asked whether they attended an educational institution, their highest level of education and their field or discipline of study.
The employment-related questions will cover whether a person worked during the previous year, their occupation, the nature of the industry, trade or service they worked in, and their worker category.
For those classified as marginal, semi-marginal or non-workers, the questionnaire will also seek information on non-economic activity and whether they are available for work.
Information on commuting to the workplace will also be collected.
The migration section will seek details about a respondent’s birthplace, previous place of residence, reason for migration, duration of stay at the current location and permanent residential address.
HOUSING CENSUS ALREADY UNDERWAY
The population count is the second major component of Census 2027.
The first phase, involving house listing and housing census began in several states and Union territories on April 16 and is scheduled to continue until September 30.
During this phase, enumerators visit homes and buildings to record information about houses, households and basic amenities.
They also collect details about the head of the household, including their name and gender, as well as information on ownership.
– Ends
(With PTI inputs)
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
