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The Home Ministry said the new census will be carried out in two phases and conclude by March 1, 2027. The government will spell out the details and schedule of the exercise later this month.They’ll collect information about houses and their occupants, such as sex, age, marital status, religion, mother tongue, language, literacy and economic activity — as well as caste.

The next census will be the first to consider the caste status of most Indians.Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them.Since independent India’s first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes.

But India also has quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India’s current policy caps quotas at 50%, with 27% reserved for OBCs. A count of these groups will likely lead to calls to raise the quotas.Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest.

The announcement on the census comes months ahead of a crucial election in India’s poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party runs a coalition government in Bihar.

TOKYO (AP) — The number of newborns in Japan is decreasing faster than projected, with the number of annual births falling to another record low last year, according to government data released Wednesday.Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Texas hospital that repeatedly senthome without ending her nonviable, life-threatening pregnancy violated the law, according to a newly released federal investigation.

The government’s findings, which have not been previously reported, were a small victory for 36-year-old Kyleigh Thurman, who ultimately lost part of her reproductive system after being discharged without any help from her hometown emergency room for her dangerous ectopic pregnancy.But a new policy the Trump administration announced on Tuesday has thrown into doubt the federal government’s oversight of hospitals that deny women emergency