| Upcoming Census: • The 2020 Census was initially planned in two phases—house listing and population enumeration—but was indefinitely delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • The National Population Register (NPR) was also scheduled for an update alongside the first phase. • The upcoming Census, if conducted, will be India’s first digital Census. |
- The Union government is still undecided on the next Census, with ongoing discussions about including caste enumeration, amidst persistent demands from political parties contributing to the delay.
- Historically, the Census has only enumerated Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), with no caste-wise population count since India’s independence.
- In 2011, a separate caste count was conducted, but the findings were never released as the data from this exercise was riddled with errors (govt informed SC).
- In recent developments, Bihar has published a caste census report in 2023, using both offline and digital modes.
