CENSUS 2027: TRAINING OF ENUMERATORS AND NEW QUESTIONS

03 Nov 2026

Tags: Governance   Policy Interventions   Sectoral development schemes

Source: The Hindu

Context: India's upcoming Census, being conducted in two phases, with Population Enumeration forming the second phase.

• Door-to-door Population Enumeration will involve approximately 34 lakh enumerators, primarily government school teachers.
• The second phase will cover 40 questions, with enumerators expected to spend around 20–25 minutes with each respondent.
• Population Enumeration will begin in four poll-bound States — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab — on December 1, before the rest of the country in January 2027.

Why is Enumerator Training Important?

• Expanded workforce: On October 16, the government expanded the definition of persons eligible for appointment as enumerators to include private school teachers and members of institutions, societies and trusts.
• National development: The Registrar General and Census Commissioner (RG&CCI), Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, emphasised that Census is not merely an administrative exercise but an empirical foundation for achieving Viksit Bharat.
• First Digital Census: Enumerators will record household information through a mobile application on their phones.
• Sensitive information: Enumerators will collect information relating to religion, language, caste, disability, migration, fertility and economic activity, requiring accuracy, confidentiality and sensitivity.

PRAMAN Framework for Enumerator Training: The government has introduced the PRAMAN framework to improve interaction between enumerators and households.

Component	Meaning
P – Pehchaan	Identity
R – Rishta	Rapport
A – Anurodh	Request
M – Madad	Assistance
A – Aankada Shuddhata	Data Accuracy
N – Nishtha	Commitment

- The framework will be integrated into all levels of training and reinforced through a Seva Bhav pledge administered to enumerators and supervisors.

Training Pyramid and Structure

• National Trainers: Subject matter experts who provide training to Master Trainers.
• Master Trainers: Train Field Trainers.
• Field Trainers: Train enumerators and supervisors.
• Enumerator-level training: Training is ideally conducted in batches of 35–50 participants.
• Practical training: Hands-on practice with the Population Enumeration mobile application is mandatory for all enumerators and supervisors.

Sensitive Areas Covered During Training

• Special training modules will cover questions relating to caste, fertility and religion.
• Enumerators will be trained in appropriate questioning, coding and probing techniques.
• Particular emphasis will be placed on maintaining neutrality and avoiding personal opinions or arguments while collecting sensitive information.
• The quality, completeness and integrity of Census data will depend on the effectiveness of this training.

New Questions in Census 2027

• On August 14, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India notified 40 questions for the Population Enumeration phase.
• The questionnaire contains 13 new questions/data fields that were not part of Census 2011.
• Some additional fields resemble questions included in the 2019 rehearsal form of the National Population Register (NPR).

Important New Information Fields

• Particulars of mother and father, including their names, religion and place of birth.
• Aadhaar number.
• Mobile number.
• Voter ID details.
• Driving licence details.

Aadhaar-related Question and Instructions

• Question No. 37: Seeks the respondent's Aadhaar number, if available.
• Field trainer's instructions: Enumerators were reportedly advised to reassure hesitant respondents that Aadhaar information could not be used for other purposes without biometric authentication and that Census information was confidential.
• A trainer reportedly suggested that accurate Aadhaar data might serve as proof of citizenship in the future.
• Official clarification: A senior Census official denied that any such instructions had been issued and clarified that there was no direction to link Aadhaar with citizenship determination.
• Optional disclosure: According to the official clarification, the Aadhaar question is optional; the respondent's answer regarding possession or non-possession of Aadhaar will simply be recorded.

Caste Enumeration: Procedure and Instructions

• Question No. 10(C): Asks respondents who are not Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) in the concerned State/UT to enter their caste name.
• Manual entry: Unlike SC/ST categories, which have predetermined drop-down options, other caste names must be manually entered in an open-text field.
• No separate OBC column: There is no separate column specifically designated for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
• Additional response options:
  • Does not want to declare caste.
  • No caste.
• Enumerator instructions: Field trainers have been told to avoid arguments, personal commentary or interpretation while recording caste information.
• Significance: This will be independent India's first caste enumeration, making accuracy and standardised recording particularly important.

Significance and Challenges

• Evidence-based policymaking: Reliable demographic, social and economic data will support better formulation and targeting of government policies.
• Social justice: Caste-related data can improve understanding of social composition and inform welfare and affirmative-action policies.
• Data confidentiality: Collection of sensitive information, particularly Aadhaar and caste details, requires strong safeguards against misuse.
• Digital divide: Digital enumeration requires adequate technological training and support for enumerators.
• Data accuracy: Manual caste entry and variations in local caste nomenclature may create challenges in standardisation and classification.
• Public trust: Clear communication about the purpose of questions and confidentiality is essential to encourage truthful participation.

Important Institutional Concepts for UPSC

• Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI)
  • Functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • Responsible for conducting the decennial Census and implementing the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
  • Oversees Census operations, population data collection and related demographic statistics.
• Population Census
  • A systematic process of collecting, compiling and analysing demographic, social and economic information about every individual within a country's territory.
  • In India, the Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948.
  • Constitutional position: Census is a Union subject under Entry 69 of the Union List (Seventh Schedule).
• National Population Register (NPR)
  • A register of usual residents of the country, irrespective of citizenship.
  • Prepared under the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
  • Unlike the Census, NPR is intended to create a database of usual residents and is not itself a population enumeration exercise.
• Census Confidentiality: Under Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948, individual Census records are not open to public inspection and are not admissible as evidence in civil or criminal proceedings, subject to statutory provisions.