NEW DELHI: Enumerators will “record religion as reported by respondents” during the 2027 census, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said: “In the census, the enumerator records all religions/sects/beliefs as mentioned by the participants.”
“In the 2027 Census also, enumerators will record the name of religion as mentioned by the respondent. In this regard, representations have been received from various organizations.”
He was responding to a question from MP Rajkumar Rawat who sought to know whether the absence of a separate column on ‘tribal religion’ in the previous census had hampered separate religious identification of tribals and whether the government was proposing to include a separate column on ‘tribal religion’ in the upcoming census.
Rawat also asked about the details of the total number of Scheduled Tribes as per Census 2011, along with statistical data regarding the population of these sub-tribes and the various religions under which the tribal communities are enumerated in the country as per Census 2011, along with governmental and religious data regarding the tribal population in the country.
The MP also sought details of the proposals received by the government from various state governments requiring a separate column for tribal religion to determine the religious identity of tribals at the state level.
In his reply, the minister said that according to the 2011 census, the total number of scheduled tribes in the country was 10,45,45,716 people.
The minister said that the census collects data on tribes as per the notified lists of scheduled tribes in each state and union territory, and data related to sub-tribe is not published separately.
According to the reply, data on Scheduled Tribe population by religious community is available in the official census schedules at the state, union territory and district levels.
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