Latest news with #Census2027
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mains answer practice — GS 2: Questions on G7 and conducting Census 2027 digitally (Week 107)
UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today's answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-2 to check your progress. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for May 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of conducting Census 2027 utilising a fully digital enumeration method. What is the G7? What are its key developments? Discuss the strategic significance of inviting India to the 2025 Canada summit. Introduction — The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction. — It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts. Body — It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content. — The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points. — Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse. — Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer. — Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required. Way forward/ conclusion — The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction. — You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers. Self Evaluation — It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers. QUESTION 1: Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of conducting Census 2027 utilising a fully digital enumeration method. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — The government has declared that the 16th Census of India will be held in two stages, with reference dates set for March 1, 2027 for most of the country and October 1, 2026 for snow-bound and inaccessible regions such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. — This census marks a significant milestone because it will feature the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: The Census serves multiple critical functions: — It serves as the foundation for the creation of electoral constituencies and the allocation of seats to Scheduled Castes and Tribes. — Central grants to states and districts are frequently population-based, as are subsidies and ration allocations. — Census data is used by ministries ranging from Education to Rural Development to locate schools, basic health care facilities, and infrastructure projects. — It aids the judiciary, planners, and scholars in understanding migration, urbanisation, employment, and fertility patterns. — The Census is also necessary for the execution of constitutional obligations. According to Article 82 of the Constitution, constituencies must be delimited using the most recent Census. Articles 330 and 332 reserve legislative seats for SCs and STs depending on population proportions. How is the 2027 Census proposed to be conducted? — The 2027 Census will be India's first digital census, featuring mobile apps, online self-enumeration, and near-real-time monitoring. It's also the first time since 1931 that caste data would be collected for all communities. — In a notable departure from 2011, the 2027 Census will include self-enumeration for the first time, allowing households to go into a government portal or use an app to fill out their own information. Once self-enumeration is completed, the system generates a unique ID. Individuals who self-enumerated will only need to provide this ID when the Census enumerator comes to their home. — Enumerators would also use mobile devices or smartphones preinstalled with the Census application. While a dual system with paper enumeration is planned, sources say it is predicted that all enumerators will utilise the digital media because cellphones are now ubiquitous and the pay for a digital census is higher. This digitisation is supposed to eliminate errors, speed up processing, and allow for better quality control. Conclusion: — Digital literacy among enumerators is a serious issue. To address this, comprehensive training modules, simulations, and region-specific language interfaces have been developed. The software features intuitive prompts, drop-down options, and offline sync. — Quality control consists of managers evaluating flagged forms and Census officers conducting periodic checks. Errors such as unrealistic age ranges or duplicate entries may be detected and corrected before submission. (Source: Explained: How India conducts its Census — and what is new in 2027) Points to Ponder Read more about Census How digital challenges will be addressed in Census 2027? Related Previous Year Questions What changes has the Union Government recently introduced in the domain of Centre-State relations? Suggest measures to be adopted to build the trust between the Centre and the States and for strengthening federalism. (2024) QUESTION 2: What is the G7? What are its key developments? Discuss the strategic significance of inviting India to the 2025 Canada summit. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — The Group was established as a platform for economic and financial cooperation in response to the 1973 energy crisis. The first Summit of Heads of State and Government was held in 1975 in Rambouillet, France. — The G7 meeting provides a forum for member countries to address their common values and concerns. While the G7's initial focus was on international economic policy, in the 1980s it expanded its mandate to encompass foreign policy and security matters. — Canada is chairing this year's G7 Summit, which will be attended by the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Carney has also invited the presidents of non-member countries India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Ukraine, as well as the head of NATO. Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: Key developments — In 1997, the G7 countries agreed to contribute $300 million to efforts to mitigate the effects of the Chernobyl reactor catastrophe. — At the 2002 summit, participants agreed to undertake a coordinated response to combat the threat of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the Global Fund, an innovative finance vehicle that has disbursed over $45 billion in relief. — The Global Apollo Program was inaugurated during the 2015 G7 conference. The Apollo Program, designed to combat climate change through renewable energy research and development, was established by the United Kingdom but did not gain traction until the other G7 countries decided to finance it. Significance of inviting India to the 2025 Canada summit — India's invitation represents a growing global consensus in a divided international order and goes beyond a mere symbolic gesture. — India's foreign policy approach, which is multi-alignment in principle and strategic autonomy in practice, has become more significant. — India's economy is growing and it has surpassed the UK to become the fifth largest economy, with a GDP of almost $3.7 trillion in 2024. — Canada's invitation to India recognises that without support from nations that reflect the goals of the Global South. Conclusion: — Due to its exclusion of China and India, two of the biggest economies in the world, the G7 has come under fire for being out of date and ineffectual in recent decades. Though others argue against it, citing India's significantly lower GDP per capita in comparison to other states, several think tanks have urged for India to join the organisation. (Source: 5 things to look out for in this year's G7 Summit in Canada, What is the G7?) Points to Ponder Read more about G7 What are the key agendas for 2025 Summit Related Previous Year Questions 'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO' In the light of the above statement, point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. (2023) 'The expansion and strengthening of NATO and a stronger US-Europe strategic partnership works well for India.' What is your opinion about this statement ? Give reasons and examples to support your answer. (2023) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 106) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 107) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 106) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 105) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 106) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 105) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. 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New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Caste census: BJP livid, calls out Congress's ‘false propaganda'
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday alleged that the Congress is carrying out 'false and misleading' propaganda regarding the Census 2027, as it hopes to gain power by claiming that society is falling apart due to the Narendra Modi-led government's decision to include caste enumeration in the nationwide exercise. Lambasting the Congress for 'misleading' people with false claims, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that the prime objective of the opposition party by resorting to such a 'petty' act is to create confusion in society and gain power. Since it is witnessing its objective falling apart, the Congress has resorted to spreading 'falsehood, deception and lies', he told reporters at the BJP headquarters on Tuesday. Trivedi stated that government media releases had mentioned that, in addition to the census, a socio-economic assessment and a caste census would also be conducted. 'Marred by its myopic view and blurred vision, they (Congress) are unable to see and understand this categorical explanation,' he charged.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
M. Sundaresh Babu to lead Census operations in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
IAS officer M. Sundaresh Babu from 2012-batch Karnataka cadre would lead the Census operations in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. A communication by Government of India's Department of Personnel & Training was issued in this regard recently. According to the communication, Mr. Babu has been named the Director of Census Operations / Director of Citizen Registration in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry upto December 31 this year or until further orders, whichever was earlier. An informed source said the Director of Census Operations was expected to assume office next week. Once official communication was received from New Delhi, processes would commence, it said. Once an official communication is received, the State government would re-notify the Census 2027 in the vernacular language after which training modules would be finalised. Teachers are expected to be involved in the enumeration process. Initially, after necessary permission from the State government, house listing operations (HLO) would commence through which all structures in habitations, including residential and non-residential such as hospitals, libraries and others would be listed for enumeration. 'About the house listing operations are completed, the population enumeration (PE) would commence after six months,' the source said. District Collectors may be notified as the Principal Census Officers. There would be national census trainers, master census trainers and field census trainers, who would train those who would undertake enumeration, it said. When asked about the preparations for Census 2027, official sources in the Tamil Nadu government said official communication was awaited from the Government of India in this regard.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress carrying out 'false' propaganda on Census 2027 out of frustration: BJP
The BJP on Tuesday alleged that the Congress is carrying out false and misleading propaganda on Census 2027 because its hope of gaining power by creating division in society is falling apart with the Narendra Modi-led government's decision to include caste enumeration in the nationwide exercise. Terming the government's notification on the 16th census a "damp squib", the Congress on Monday said it is silent on the inclusion of caste in the exercise and asked whether this is another "U-turn" by the government. The Home Ministry noted that some misleading information, which stated that there was no mention of caste count in the gazette notification, was being spread and later asserted that the Census 2027 would include caste enumeration. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like I Tried the $0.87 Generic Viagra and Here's What Happened! fridayplans Learn More Undo Lambasting the Congress for "misleading" people with false claims, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that the prime objective of the opposition party by resorting to such a "petty" act is to create confusion in society and gain power. Since it is witnessing its objective falling apart, the Congress has resorted to spreading "falsehood, deception and lies", he told reporters at the BJP headquarters here. Live Events Trivedi said the press releases issued by the government had clearly mentioned that along with the census, a socio-economic assessment and caste census would also be conducted. "Marred by its myopic view and blurred vision, rather a motivated nefarious vision, however, they (Congress) are unable to see what is categorically explained in the Modi government's decision to conduct the census," he charged. They are running completely false and misleading propaganda because they feel that their hopes are not being fulfilled, the Rajya Sabha MP added. Trivedi alleged that the Congress has always resorted to vote bank politics in the name of caste but did nothing for the backward communities. "The party decided to stop the caste census (enumeration) in 1951 and did not allow the Kaka Kalekar Commission report and the Mandal Commission report to be released," he said. With the 'Sabka saath, sabka vishwas' mantra, Trivedi said, the NDA government under Prime Minister Modi 's leadership wants to conduct a census with caste enumeration to ensure "recognition of all castes, respect for all castes and upliftment of the most backward castes". On the contrary, the leaders of the Congress and " INDI Alliance " only want the upliftment of their families by creating division in the society on caste lines, the BJP leader charged. "In 2022, our alliance government in Bihar decided to conduct a caste survey in the state," the BJP leader said. Trivedi also raised questions over the Congress government 's decision to conduct a fresh caste survey in Karnataka and asked whether the previous survey conducted with an expenditure of Rs 165 crore was erroneous.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Census 2027 could help understand how caste hierarchy intersects with gender and religion: Sociologist Trina Vithayathil
The Union Home Ministry has issued a gazette notification announcing that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The 2027 census will also include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. Yet, the announcement raises urgent questions: Will this be a genuine step toward caste equity or another deflection? Historically, successive governments have promised caste enumeration only to backtrack. In her book, Counting Caste: Census Politics, Bureaucratic Deflection, and Brahmanical Power in India, sociologist Trina Vithayathil traces the institutional sabotage of caste data and the systemic refusal to acknowledge caste privilege. Drawing on years of fieldwork and interviews, her analysis provides a critical lens to understand today's developments. In an interview with she reflects on the meaning of caste enumeration, the myth of neutrality in data collection, and the deep-rooted power structures that shape India's census politics. Edited excerpts: Depending on the design and execution of caste-related questions in Census 2027, the census could provide a comprehensive understanding of how caste hierarchy intersects with gender, religion, education, literacy, occupation, household amenities, assets, and place of residence, among other socio-economic factors. The census could document the relational nature of caste, including how caste privilege and power operate for the first time since 1931. With regards to the institutionalisation of castelessness, scholars such as Professor Satish Deshpande have traced how political leaders from dominant castes muted their caste identities to represent all of India in the 1930s and construct a Congress 'majority'. They did so in response to Dr BR Ambedkar's demand for separate electorates, and continued to oppose many of his recommendations in independent India (for example, to expand reservations to additional caste-oppressed groups and enact a Hindu Code Bill to challenge caste and patriarchy in social life), which strived to build institutional mechanisms to safeguard the interests of marginalised communities including the election of leaders and the entry of bureaucrats committed to annihilating caste, patriarchy, and related systems of domination. Instead, the systems that reproduce caste-based privilege and power became obscured and were allowed to take on new forms that often appear consistent with democratic values. Census officials in independent India were eager to redirect time and energy away from the enumeration of caste, which they saw as an obsession of the colonial state but largely irrelevant in independent India. Caste, religion, and race were key social categories enumerated in colonial censuses, and census officials spent considerable time and resources creating caste lists and collecting, compiling, and publishing caste-wise data. Across colonial censuses, the state struggled to commensurate caste, that is, create a common metric or set of comparable categories within and across localised systems of caste hierarchy. Yet, marginalised groups also used these census data to make demands on the colonial state to address caste-based inequalities, including the under-representation of caste-oppressed groups and the restricted access to 'public' resources and institutions. Census data helped to make visible gross caste-related inequalities and assisted in the development of policies to address caste-based discrimination and exclusion. In contrast, political leaders in independent India argued that if the state focused on economic development, then caste hierarchy would dismantle itself; this view justified the decision to restrict the enumeration of caste in the census and squarely aligned with the strengthening of an ideology of castelessness. Though political leaders publicly backed caste enumeration in Census 2011, officials in the Home Ministry and Office of the Registrar General, India (ORGI) resisted, arguing it would compromise the census's accuracy. Framing the issue as technical rather than political, they sidelined advocates and shaped the decision-making process out of public view. This led to the exclusion of a caste-wise enumeration in the census on the grounds of protecting its 'integrity.' Political leaders obtained written support for a caste census from every political party but in the process secured operational latitude through a cleverly worded inquiry. Executive bureaucrats redirected the caste count to the National Population Register (NPR) but facing pressure proposed a separate caste census after the main Census 2011. This never materialized, and the caste count was instead folded into the Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey, later renamed the Socio-Economic Caste (SEC) Census. Years later, the resulting caste-wise data were deemed unusable and never published. The caste-wise enumeration in the SEC survey was undermined by an ideology of 'castelessness.' The first caste question lacked OBC and general category options required to classify approximately 77.5% of the population. The inclusion of 'other' and 'no caste/tribe' options further diluted a meaningful enumeration of caste. The second caste question failed to include a caste list for the catch-all 'other' option from the first question, resulting in unstandardised, unprocessable answers. Little effort was made to enumerate caste among religious minorities excluded from SC classification, neglecting tens of millions from caste-oppressed backgrounds. Without external oversight, future efforts may face the same fate. For more than 150 years, texts such as Jotirao Phule's Slavery and BR Ambedkar's States and Minorities have described the interwoven relationship between technocratic reasoning and Brahmanical power. Dr Ambedkar worried that if the executive bureaucracy remained in the hands of those dominated by Brahmanical ways of thinking, then social and political equality would not be possible — the state would fail to prioritise dismantling systems of caste- and gender-based discrimination and privilege in independent India. He foresaw how bureaucratic expertise and technocratic decision-making would reproduce existing hierarchies of power instead of correcting histories of exclusion. Technocratic reasoning is often incorrectly seen as apolitical and therefore caste and-gender-free; this gives experts leeway to make decisions with limited external scrutiny and allows for the perpetuation of Brahmanical ways of thinking. In the case of Census 2011, executive bureaucrats used technocratic language to steer a public conversation and convince the political leadership not to enumerate caste in the census. Non-experts had difficulty challenging the premise that somehow enumerating caste in the census would ruin the decadal population count. Technocratic reasoning (for where there is a high bar for entry) replaced a conversation over the importance of collecting caste-wise data for the administration of affirmative action, broader policy and programmatic purposes, and social justice concerns. Similarly, research from other parts of the world traces how technocracies threaten the ability for historically marginalised groups to shape the creation, design, and monitoring of public policies and programmes. The political leadership relocated the task of the caste enumeration from the Census of India after conceding to the ORGI's position that it would be too difficult to collect the caste-wise data in the census and could ruin the integrity of the census. Timing-wise, the planning of the BPL survey was almost complete, and so political leaders eventually decided to combine both projects and provided additional resources for a combined caste-wise enumeration and BPL survey. The state published BPL data from the SEC survey in 2015 and 2016, but the caste-wise data have yet to be published. An expert committee chaired by Professor Arvind Panagariya was created in 2015 to analyse the caste-wise data, but it's unclear who was on the committee, whether the committee met, and if the committee submitted a final report. The design of the caste-related questions and answer options in the SEC survey, the gaps in the enumerator training, and the burial of the collected data all highlight how the central government (across political administrations) has evaded the documentation of caste power and promoted the invisibility of caste-wise data. The Bihar caste survey data builds upon a history of local and regional political movements challenging an ideology of castelessness in the census. It also contests the castelessness narrative by making visible how caste hierarchy structures socioeconomic life. At the same time, the central government has repeatedly decentralised the enumeration of caste to state-level agencies (whether state governments, Backward Classes Commissions, or other entities) from the 1950s to the present day as a strategy to avoid a nationwide enumeration of caste in the census. Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
