UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — CENSUS 2027

Q1. With reference to the legal and administrative framework governing the Census of India, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Census Act, 1948 is the enabling statute for the conduct of the census in India.
  2. Census in India is a subject in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
  3. The Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India functioning under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
  4. The conduct of the census is operationally governed by the Census Rules, 1990.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. With reference to the statutory basis of Census 2027 compared with earlier post-Independence censuses, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Census Act, 1948 was in force before the first census conducted after Independence.
  2. Census 2027 is being conducted under a new Census Act enacted in 2025.
  3. The Census Rules, 1990 derive their authority from the Census Act, 1948.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. With reference to the history of census-taking in India, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The first synchronous census in India was conducted in 1881.
  2. A non-simultaneous modern census exercise was carried out in India between 1865 and 1872, before the first synchronous census.
  3. Caste data was last comprehensively collected in the 1951 Census.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Census operations in India are headed by which one of the following offices?

  • A. Chief Statistician of India
  • B. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
  • C. Surveyor General of India
  • D. Director General, National Sample Survey Office

Q5. The scheme for the conduct of Census 2027 approved by the Union Cabinet is administered as the nodal responsibility of which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • B. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Q6. With reference to the phased schedule and reference moments of Census 2027, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Phase I, the Houselisting and Housing Census, is to be conducted between April and September 2026.
  2. The reference date for synchronous areas is 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027.
  3. For synchronous areas, Population Enumeration is scheduled for September 2026.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. The caste enumeration component of Census 2027 will be carried out by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • B. National Commission for Backward Classes
  • C. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
  • D. National Sample Survey Office

Q8. In the context of Census 2027, the term 'caste enumeration' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Recording the caste of every individual enumerated, and not merely Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
  • B. Recording the caste of only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, exactly as in all previous censuses
  • C. Conducting a separate socio-economic survey whose caste figures are released independently of the Census
  • D. Counting solely the Other Backward Classes for the express purpose of fixing reservation quotas

Q9. Near real-time monitoring of Census 2027 field operations is carried out through which one of the following?

  • A. National Population Register (NPR)
  • B. Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS)
  • C. Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) portal
  • D. Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR)

Q10. In the context of Census 2027, 'Pragati' and 'Vikas' refer to which one of the following?

  • A. The official mascots depicting a female enumerator and a male enumerator
  • B. The two mobile applications exclusively used for digital data collection
  • C. The two operational phases into which the census is divided
  • D. The separate self-enumeration web portals meant only for rural and urban areas

Q11. Reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, to be operationalised through delimitation after the first census post-2026, was enacted through which one of the following Constitutional Amendments?

  • A. 101st Constitutional Amendment
  • B. 103rd Constitutional Amendment
  • C. 105th Constitutional Amendment
  • D. 106th Constitutional Amendment

Q12. With reference to the sequencing and numbering of Census 2027, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Census 2027 is the 16th census in the series begun in 1881.
  2. Census 2027 is the 8th census to be conducted since Independence.
  3. The last decennial census held before Census 2027 was in 2011.
  4. The first census conducted after Independence was held in 1948.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4