Census 2027 to Stop Separate Count of Beggars and Vagrants; Adds Natural Calamities as Migration Reason
The upcoming Census 2027 will bring two significant changes: it will no longer include a separate category for 'beggars and vagrants' in its list of non-economic activities, and it will add 'natural calamities' as a recognised reason for migration.
For the first time, the questionnaire has omitted the category 'beggars and vagrants etc' from the list of non-economic activities. According to sources, this decision follows the very low response in this category during the last census. In Census 2011, only about 3.8 lakh non-workers and marginal workers identified themselves as 'beggars and vagrants'. The comparable figures were 6.3 lakh in 2001 and 5.4 lakh in 1991.
The low numbers were not considered reliable. Many individuals in this situation were reluctant to declare themselves as such because of the associated social stigma. As one officer explained, “Census rules require the enumerator to record the occupation or non-economic activity as declared by the respondent.” Consequently, those who might otherwise have been classified as beggars or vagrants will now be counted under the 'others' category. This means that detailed data on the number of such persons, or their classification by age, religion, state or educational status, will no longer appear in census tables.
The other key change is the inclusion of 'natural calamities' as a reason for migration. This will be in addition to existing reasons such as work, business, education, marriage, moving after birth, moving with household, and 'any other'. The addition recognises that disasters—both natural and human-made—can force people to leave their homes and settle elsewhere.
The census form also introduces new fields under 'father's particulars' and 'mother's particulars'. These will capture the date and place of birth of the parents, as well as their religion. However, these details are to be filled only when the mother or father is not listed in the same household or is no longer alive. Since the enumeration form already records the religion, date and place of birth of each household member, including parents, the new fields will provide additional information in specific circumstances.
Sources indicated that recording the religion of both parents could help generate data on the prevalence of inter-faith marriages across generations and the history of religious conversions. Additionally, the date and place of birth of parents will help in compiling aggregate data on how many Indians meet the citizenship criteria under the Citizenship Act.
Another notable feature of the Census 2027 questionnaire is the inclusion of fields for mobile number, Aadhaar, voter ID and Indian passport number, where available. Technically, every individual possessing these documents is required to share the numbers. However, enumerators have been trained to only persuade respondents to provide these details, assuring them that all individual data will remain confidential. If a respondent is still reluctant, the enumerator will leave the fields blank.
According to an official, even blank fields will be useful. “Blank fields will enable the census team to determine which of the documents—Aadhaar, voter ID or passport—respondents are most reluctant to share due to privacy concerns.”
The changes reflect the evolving nature of the census exercise, which aims to gather accurate data while respecting respondents' concerns. As with any census, the success of these new measures will depend on the cooperation of the public and the sensitivity of enumerators.
