India to exclude OBC lists from 2027 Census caste enumeration

The Indian government has decided not to use existing Central and State lists of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for caste enumeration in the 2027 Census. Officials stated that these lists often include broader social or occupational classes rather than specific castes, which could lead to inaccurate data. While the government will continue to use Presidential lists for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), it plans to provide an open column for individuals to manually identify their caste if they do not fall under SC or ST categories.

In response, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the Centre to withdraw this decision and instead implement a pre-defined dropdown system within the census software. Ramadoss, supported by the Indian National Congress, argued that leaving a blank field for manual entry is an unacceptable method for ensuring accurate data collection. He noted that this national caste census is the first of its kind in 95 years, following decades of advocacy by social justice organizations.