India, June 4 -- The Union government on Wednesday said the process of carrying out the decadal census, which has been delayed, is likely to begin with the caste-based enumeration on March 1, 2027.

The schedule for both the population and caste census will roll out nationwide from March 1, 2027. In Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand, the process is likely to begin earlier, from October 2026, according to people aware of the details.

In May, the government had announced that it will conduct the caste census along with the general census, pointing out that the exercise will allow the government to make policies more efficiently.

A caste census had been a long-pending demand of the opposition parties, and a clutch of parties that ...