New Delhi: The rehearsal for the second phase of Census of India 2027 has introduced an “open column” for respondents to record their caste, indicating how caste enumeration may be carried out during the nationwide exercise. Officials sources involved in the process told The Hindu that while Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Schedules Tribes (STs) will continue to be recorded using pre-existing community codes, other respondents are being asked to state their caste in an open field, with the enumerators recording the response as provided.This marks the first time the population census is testing a possible methods to record caste details for all communities, though officials have stressed that the format being used during the trial is not the final framework.The trial, which commenced on Monday (July 6) across 16 states and Union Territories, is testing the Population Enumeration (PU) phase of the census and is expected to be wrapped up on July 20. The final PU phases of the census is scheduled to be conducted nationwide in February 2027, with snowbound areas of Ladakh and part of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh completing the exercise by September 2026. The final census questionnaire will be ready by September this year, TH reported.Also read: Census Enumerators Told to Ensure Data They Collect, Tallies with ‘Government Data’: ReportThe pre-test exercise also allows self-enumeration and residents in the designated test areas were reportedly able to access the online portal between July 1 and July 5 before field enumeration began. The 2027 census will be India’s first fully digital census, along with being the first countrywide survey to enumerate all castes since independence. Until now, the decennial census only collected caste data for SC and ST communities.The inclusion of caste enumeration was approved by the Union cabinet in 2025, following years of debate over whether and how caste data should be collected at a pan-India level. The methodology being tested has revived debate over how caste should be recorded in the census.According to the report, the discussion has largely centred around two plausible approaches: allowing respondents to enter their caste details in an open-ended format or providing a fixed list from which people can select. While the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) used an open-entry method, the Bihar government’s 2022-2023 caste survey followed a list-based approach.The 2011 SECC survey resulted in over 46 lakh different caste names being recorded, owing to variations in spelling, regional identities and differences in how communities identified themselves. The Union government maintained that the caste data collected through the SECC could not be considered reliable, citing the large number of entries as a high risk for errors in data collection and classification. The Union government has used the reasoning to justify obscurity surrounding the caste data since 2011.Also read: Backstory: Media Must Pay Attention to Census 2027, Probably the Most Crucial in Indian HistoryAs per TH report, the ongoing “pre-test” is intended to analyse operational aspects, including field procedures, digital applications and the process of recording responses before the final census begins. The first phase of census 2027, the Housing and House Listing Operations (HLO), is yet to be completed in eight states – Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Manipur.The final methodology for conducting the population census will be decided after feedback from the ongoing exercise is assessed, the report mentioned.