Census 2027: Ladakh to pioneer India's first caste enumeration

Ladakh, one of India's youngest Union Territories, is set to host the beginning of a historic exercise: the first caste enumeration in independent India. The Population Enumeration (PE) phase of Census 2027 is scheduled to begin in Ladakh and other snow-bound areas from August 17, ahead of the rest of the country, where it will be conducted in February 2027.

The enumeration will include approximately 40 parameters, with a likely open-ended column for respondents to state their caste. This methodology follows a pre-test conducted between July 1 and 20 in 16 States and Union Territories, where enumerators recorded caste names exactly as declared by individuals, rather than selecting from a predetermined list. Government officials indicated that the same approach will be retained in the final schedule.

Although Census 2027 is being conducted as India's first digital census, authorities have made an exception for Ladakh by printing paper schedules. The decision accounts for the significant defence establishments in the region, which borders China and Pakistan. The mobile application used for digital enumeration requires geo-tagging of structures, but defence installations cannot be geo-tagged due to security concerns. The exception also applies to respondents who self-enumerate through the census portal, which normally requires geo-tagging as well.

The formal questionnaire is yet to be notified by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. However, field preparations are already in progress. The Directorate of Census Operations for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh recently concluded a three-day Master Trainers' Training Programme to prepare staff for the upcoming PE phase.

Chief Principal Census Officer Amit Sharma said the training covered census concepts, caste and demographic data collection, digital tools, self-enumeration, interviewing techniques, and hands-on use of the mobile application. Since Ladakh was not part of the pre-test, training was based on tentative questions that are likely to be officially notified this week.

A senior government official elaborated on the caste enumeration process: "The questions are descriptive and will include caste. The caste column will be open-ended, and enumerators will record the name of the caste as provided by the respondent." This approach aims to capture the diversity of caste identities as understood by individuals themselves.

In addition, enumerators have been instructed to exercise caution while recording structures in sensitive border areas. Defence establishments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will be marked as "special charges" on paper schedules to ensure they are not accidentally disclosed.

The open-column methodology is not without precedent. The 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), which used a similar approach, recorded more than 46 lakh distinct caste names, reflecting the wide variations in how people describe their caste affiliations. The central government has consistently maintained that the SECC caste data was unreliable due to collection errors, and the data was never released. In comparison, the last complete caste census in 1931 recorded 4,147 castes. It is important to note that the SECC was a survey conducted outside the purview of the Census Act, 1948, and lacked statutory backing.

This will be the first time caste-wise data is collected in a national census since India's independence. The colonial-era censuses regularly collected caste data until 1931. After independence, the government ceased the practice, except for enumerating Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The decision to resume caste enumeration has been a subject of considerable public debate, with various political and social groups holding divergent views.

The launch of the Population Enumeration in Ladakh underscores the region's strategic importance and the logistical challenges of conducting a census in high-altitude, snow-bound areas. The lessons learned from conducting this exercise in Ladakh will likely inform the methodology used across the country when the PE phase is rolled out nationwide in 2027.