Ladakh is set to become the first region in India to demonstrate how caste will be recorded during the country’s upcoming Census, marking the first caste enumeration in an official Census of independent India.
The second phase of Census 2027, known as Population Enumeration (PE), is being conducted ahead of the rest of the country in Ladakh and other snow-bound areas.
The exercise is expected to include around 40 questions, with caste likely to be recorded through an open-ended column in which respondents declare their caste and enumerators record the response.
According to the information provided, the final questionnaire had not yet been formally notified at the time of the report.
One of the most significant features of the upcoming population enumeration will be the methodology used to record caste.
During the July pre-test conducted in 16 States and Union Territories, respondents other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were asked to provide their caste through an open column.
Under this system, rather than selecting from a predetermined list, respondents declare their caste and the enumerator records the name provided.
The same methodology is expected to be retained in the final Census questionnaire.
A senior government official said the caste column would be open-ended and that enumerators would record the caste name as declared by the respondent.
The ongoing Census is India’s first digital Census, but Ladakh will receive a special arrangement involving paper schedules.
The reason is the presence of major defence establishments in the strategically sensitive region bordering China and Pakistan.
The digital Census requires enumerators to geo-locate structures using a mobile application. However, defence installations cannot be geo-tagged because of security considerations.
As a result, officials are preparing paper schedules for recording such structures.
Enumerators in Ladakh and other sensitive areas are being instructed to exercise caution while recording structures located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
According to the report, defence structures will be recorded as “special charges” on paper schedules rather than being geo-located through the digital system.
This is an exception to the otherwise digital nature of Census 2027.
Preparations are already underway in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The population enumeration phase in these areas is scheduled ahead of the rest of the country because of their difficult winter conditions.
According to the August 3 notification from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, population enumeration in these regions will take place from September 1 to September 30, 2026, followed by a revisional round from October 1 to October 5.
An earlier self-enumeration period will run from August 17 to August 31.
For the rest of India, the population enumeration is expected to take place in February 2027.
The final questionnaire had not yet been notified when the report was published.
However, officials involved in preparations said the population enumeration schedule is expected to contain around 40 questions.
The questions are expected to cover demographic information along with caste-related information.
Officials involved in the training process are currently being trained on tentative questions and procedures.
