Hyderabad: The Centre has issued a Gazette notification laying out the schedule for a national census in two stages. This will include caste enumeration, marking a shift in long-standing data collection policy.
The first phase will cover Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh. That leg is to be completed by October 1, 2026.
The second phase will extend the exercise to the remaining parts of the country. The entire process is expected to be concluded by March 1, 2027.
The caste census will run parallel to the population count. This is the first time since Independence that the Centre has formally included caste as part of the national enumeration.
