Census 2027: The 14 questions and why opposition fears an NPR 'backdoor'

NEW DELHI: Although six years late, enumerators have started knocking on doors for the decennial headcount in Ladakh and snowbound regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand starting September 1.But doubts and fears have preceded the Census, turning what was meant to be a routine exercise to track population growth and aid policy planning into a fresh political flashpoint.Until now, the caste census had been the main point of contention between the opposition and the government. The opposition had questioned the intent and methodology of an exercise being conducted in the country after almost 100 years.The contention has now moved beyond the caste census, and the opposition is also raising questions over the methodology of population enumeration, alleging that it too has a “deeper nefarious purpose”.What is the controversy?On August 14, the Centre notified the list of questions that officials will ask during population enumeration.