From Internet access to toilets, tech to LPG, Census goes deeper

From access to the internet and possession of electronic gadgets such as laptops, computers, and smartphones to access to toilets (and their type), wastewater outlets, availability of bathing facilities, and presence of radio sets, transistors, and television sets, these are among the 33 questions that residents will have to answer in the first phase of Census 2027, to be conducted between 1 April and 30 September.

The enumerators will ask about the head of the household, like the name and sex, whether the head of the household belongs to the Scheduled Caste, the Scheduled Tribe or other communities and the ownership status. They will also have to give details about the number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household and the number of married couple(s) living there. The questions will start with asking the building number (Municipal or local authority or census number), census house number, predominant material used in the floor, wall and roof of the house. The enumerators will then ask about the use of the house, its condition, and the number of persons normally residing in the household.

The questions will start with asking the building number (Municipal or local authority or census number), census house number, predominant material used in the floor, wall and roof of the house. The enumerators will then ask about the use of the house, its condition, and the number of persons normally residing in the household. The new notification separates the combined question about flooring, walls, and roofing into three distinct inquiries regarding the predominant materials used. Households will also be asked about the cereals they consume, sources of drinking water and lighting, access to toilets and the type of toilets used, wastewater outlets, availability of bathing facilities, kitchens and LPG or PNG connections, the main fuel used for cooking, and the presence of radio sets, transistors and television sets.

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI) has notified these 33 questions for the exercise that residents will have to answer in the first phase of Census 2027. In a gazette notification published on Thursday, Registrar General of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, listed questions such as material used in house flooring and roof, number of married couples living there, sex of the head of the household, type of cereal consumed, access to basic and modern necessities, and types of vehicles owned.

The notification said, “The Central Government hereby instructs that all Census officers may, within the limits of the local areas for which they have been respectively appointed, ask all such questions from all persons on the items enumerated below for collecting information through the houselisting and housing census schedule in connection with the Census of India 2027.”

The questions are: building number (municipal or local authority or Census number); Census house number; predominant material of floor of the Census house; predominant material of wall of the Census house; predominant material of roof of the Census house; use of Census house; condition of the Census house; household number; total number of persons normally residing in the household; name of the head of the household; sex of the head of the household; whether the head of the household belongs to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other; ownership status; number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household; number of married couple(s) living in the household; main source of drinking water; availability of drinking water source; main source of lighting; access to latrine; type of latrine; waste water outlet; availability of bathing facility; availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection; main fuel used for cooking; radio/transistor; television; access to Internet; laptop/computer; telephone/mobile phone/smartphone; bicycle/scooter/motorcycle/moped; car/jeep/van; main cereal consumed in the household; and mobile number (for Census-related communications only).

The pre-test or the preparatory exercise for the first phase of Census was held from November 10-30, 2025 in select areas across the country and it sought response to 35 questions such as composition of the floor and roof of the house, main cereal consumed, source of drinking water and cooking fuel, number of married couples in the house.

The first phase of Census 2027-- houselisting operations-- will take place during a 30-day period specified by each state and Union Territory between April 1 and September 30 this year.There will also be an option for self-enumeration to be conducted in a 15-day period just before the start of houselisting operations of 30 days.

The last comprehensive caste-based count was done between 1881 and 1931. Caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since Independence.The decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30 last year.