Latest news with #2027Census
Arab News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
India to count its population in 2027, after six-year delay
NEW DELHI: After a six-year delay, India is set to count its population in the 2027 census, the government said on Monday, as it prepares to also record caste data for the first time in nearly a century. One of the world's largest administrative undertakings, India's population census was originally scheduled for 2021, but has faced multiple delays — mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a gazette notification, declaring that the census 'shall be taken during the year 2027.' The ministry did not specify when the process of counting India's population — currently estimated at nearly 1.46 billion — would begin, but the process of house listing and enumeration is set to be complete before March 1, 2027, for most of the country, and by Oct. 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The last census was conducted in 2011 and provided critical data for planning welfare schemes, allocating federal funds, and drawing electoral boundaries. In 2027, for the first time since 1931 — when India was still under British colonial rule — caste details will be collected as well. India's caste system, which is rooted in Hindu scriptures, historically divided the population into a hierarchy that dictated people's occupations, living areas, and marriage prospects based on their family of birth. While originally a Hindu practice, many non-Hindu communities in India also identify with certain castes today. For centuries, those in the lowest ranks of the hierarchy have faced marginalization and social restrictions. After gaining independence from Britain in 1947, India banned caste-based discrimination and created specific caste categories for affirmative action policies. 'Once you count the number of people of various castes, it is going to lead to a political empowerment because of those people who are underrepresented in politics, in elections, in jobs, in the private sector,' Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, political commentator and Narendra Modi's biographer, told Arab News. 'India's policy of reservations — which is otherwise known as positive discrimination in other countries like the US — is going to become more widespread and more systemic, and thereby it is going to lead to some amount of friction between various castes.' India has specific caste categories for affirmative action policies, reserving up to 50 percent of government jobs and educational seats for marginalized groups. The census containing caste details may lead to altering the rate, as the number of lower caste Indians is much higher. 'We hope that they will be getting better representation. And other political parties will also have to give due weightage to people from these castes, which are not represented. So even in politics, you'll have tickets being distributed to people from other castes,' Mukhopadhyay said. 'This is going to be the next wave of political empowerment of the existing underprivileged and underrepresented castes and communities.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government announced in April that counting castes in the upcoming census will 'ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure' and 'that society becomes stronger economically and socially.' But the idea to include it came from the opposition, which for the past six years has been demanding that caste details be included in the census. The most vocal advocate of it has been Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress Party and Modi's key rival. The census is likely to provide information that will not only inspire social change but may also impact the political scene, which has been dominated by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014. 'If there is one thing that can really counter communalism and majoritarian politics it is the caste. Rahul Gandhi picked up the caste census issue quite late, but he made it a point by raising the issue,' said Ambarish Kumar, political analyst and host of a news analysis show. 'If you look at any field, the small demography of upper castes dominates almost every field … The caste census is an attempt to address this grave anomaly. The caste census will bring the marginal communities into the focus of the government policies which are not there.'
India Gazette
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Will 2027 Census follow Telangana model or is India staring at another Jumla?": Congress MP Manickam Tagore raises questions on Census 2027
New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): Raising questions on the Census 2027, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday questioned Union Home Minister whether the Census data would follow the Telangana model or if the country was staring at another 'Jumla.' 'Dear Mr. Amit Shah, will the 2027 Caste Census follow the Telangana model, or is India staring at another Jumla? The first caste census since 1931 has been officially notified. But we have questions. Big ones. And the country deserves answers,' the post on social media X read. Tagore also questioned the government, asking if it was following the Telangana model or avoiding it for political convenience. He also raised questions if the Census 2027 would release full caste data, including the OBCs or would it be another round of data collection. 'Will your government release the full caste data this time, including OBC sub-categorisation? Or will it be another round of data collection without justice?' the post further read. Tagore also raised questions on what was stopping the Government from having a precise and transparent Census. Furthermore, Tagore questioned if the 2027 Census would become a tool of justice or would be another headline. 'Will the 2027 Census become a tool of justice, or just another headline? Mr. Shah, history is watching. India is waiting. And the OBCs will not settle for optics without outcomes,' he further wrote. Earlier in the day, the Central government notified that the Population census, the process of which will begin in March 2027. As per a gazette notification released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 'In exercise of the powers conferred by Section three of the Census Act 1948 and in suppression of the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs dated March 26, 2018, the Central Government declared that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027, as per a circular released by the Ministry of Home Affairs.' The notification said that the reference date for the census shall be March 1, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Furthermore, the reference date for the Union Territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2026. (ANI)
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Hindu Morning Digest: June 06, 2025
Bengaluru stampede: City police chief suspended, RCB booked A day after a stampede claimed the lives of 11 and left 56 injured at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here during revelry to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory in IPL-2025, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda and all police officials responsible for the jurisdiction where the stadium is, have been suspended, pending inquiry. Two mobile apps, portal to aid in speedy processing of Census 2027 data Enumerators for the 2027 Census will make data entries into apps on their smartphones for the first time, meaning that the data can be processed in real time, officials said on Thursday (June 5, 2025). This could mean the faster publication of datasets, rather than having them spread out over the decade following a population count, as has been seen in the case of past Censuses. Elon Musk slams 'ingratitude' after Trump's 'very disappointed' remark Tensions between Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded into public view Thursday, as the US president said he was 'very disappointed' by his billionaire former aide's criticisms and Musk hit back in real time on social media. Pakistan likes to dangle nuclear bogey to get the world excited, Tharoor says in Washington There was no significant risk that the recent fighting between India and Pakistan, following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, was approaching a nuclear threshold, according to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Railways to undertake random verification of Aadhaar to check for illegal immigrants The Indian Railways has issued an alert on illegal immigrants using fake or forged Aadhaar cards as proof of identity while travelling and directed Travelling Ticket Examiners to check at random the veracity of the document. Delimitation will address concerns of southern States: Home Ministry The delimitation exercise will take care of the concerns expressed by southern States, and discussions will be held with all stakeholders at the appropriate time, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Thursday (June 5, 2025). PM Modi to inaugurate Kashmir's first all-weather rail link with Delhi via Katra Kashmir is set to finally have a rail link with the rest of the country, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Srinagar–Jammu–Delhi rail link on June 6 at the Katra end in Jammu's Udhampur district. The Vande Bharat Express between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar will begin regular operations from June 7, officials said. Security forces launch operation along India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh Security forces launched a patrol to dominate the border areas on Thursday (June 5, 2025), following specific information about the movement of unknown armed individuals in Pongchau Circle of Longding district in Arunachal Pradesh. Aryna Sabalenka ends Iga Swiatek's 26-match French Open winning streak, reaches the final No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek's 26-match French Open unbeaten streak and reached the final in Paris for the first time by using her pure power to dominate down the stretch and win their semifinal 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 on Thursday.
