Census 2027 to include transgender category for heads of households

The government informed the Rajya Sabha that Census 2027 will collect data on the sex of the head of the household, including a transgender category. The exercise will be conducted in two phases and will also allow citizens the option of self-enumeration

New Delhi: The upcoming Census will collect data on the sex of the head of the household — Male, Female and Transgender, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written response, said Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. The questions for the first phase, which covers Houselisting and Housing Census, have been notified.

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“Information on housing conditions, household particulars including name and sex of the head of the household, amenities available and assets possessed by the household will be collected in this phase. Three categories of sex of head of household viz. Male/Female/Transgender will be collected,” Rai said.

Questions for the second phase, which is Population Enumeration where information on each individual will be collected, will be notified in due course, he added.

The minister said enumerators shall undertake house-to-house field visits across the entire enumeration area for the collection of Census data to avoid any exclusion on any ground.

“Provision of self-enumeration is an additional facility for respondents to submit data. Enumerators will confirm self-enumeration data before final submission. Further, FAQs, necessary ‘tool tips’ and validation checks for questions are provided in the self-enumeration portal itself to ensure accuracy of data,” he said.

The minister said all suitable measures have been taken for data security while collecting data on mobile devices, during data transmission and at the server level.

“Adequate training is being provided to all field functionaries appointed for Census work including enumerators and supervisors. Validation rules are incorporated in the mobile app itself to ensure data consistency and accuracy. Further, data collected by enumerators will also be monitored and checked by supervisors,” he said.

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India, 2027, which would include caste enumeration for the first time.

The 16th Census since Independence will be a fully digital exercise and will offer citizens the option of self-enumeration. The decadal exercise, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.