The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially notified the 40 questions that census officers across India will use to collect data from households for the upcoming Census of India 2027. This notification was issued under Section 8(1) of the Census Act, 1948, marking a significant step in the nation's demographic data collection efforts.
The extensive questionnaire aims to gather a wide array of information, providing a detailed snapshot of the country's population. The questions are categorized to cover various aspects of individual and household life, from basic personal identification to socio-economic indicators and digital penetration.
Key Areas of Inquiry for Census 2027
The Household Schedule for Census 2027 will delve into several crucial areas, including:
- Personal and Family Details: This section covers fundamental information such as the name, relationship to the head of the household, sex, date of birth, age, marital status, age at marriage, spouse's name, nationality, and religion. It also includes inquiries about Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), or other caste affiliations, as well as particulars of parents and any disabilities.
- Education and Employment: Questions here focus on mother tongue and other languages known, literacy and digital literacy status, attendance in educational institutions, highest educational level attained, and stream/discipline. For employment, officers will ask if an individual worked anytime during the last year, their category of economic activity, occupation, nature of industry, trade or service, class of worker, and non-economic activity details for marginal, semi-marginal, and non-workers. It also probes if individuals are seeking or available for work.
- Migration and Residence: This segment investigates birthplace, place of last residence, reasons for migration, duration of stay in the current village or town since the last migration, and the permanent residential address.
- Children and Other Details: For currently married, widowed, divorced, and separated women, there will be questions regarding the number of children surviving at present, the total number of children ever born alive, and the number of children born alive during the last one year (for currently married women only).
Optional Information Collection
In addition to the mandatory questions, census officers may also request certain identification and contact details, if available. These include:
- Place of Covid-19 Vaccination
- Total number of Bank Accounts
- Mobile Number
- Aadhaar Number
- Voter ID Number
- Passport Number (for Indian Passport holders)
- Availability of Driving License
The MHA has clarified that census officers are authorized to ask these questions within their appointed local areas to collect comprehensive information through the Household Schedule for the Census 2027. This data will be instrumental for policy formulation, resource allocation, and understanding demographic shifts across India.