Census 2027 in Two Phases, To Be India’s First-Ever Digital Exercise - What We Know

New Delhi: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday announced that Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases which will include housing census and population count. Vaishnaw informed that this will be the

first ever digital census in the country."Census 2027 will be the first ever digital census. The digital design of the census has been made keeping in mind data protection. It will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1: House Listing and Housing Census from April to September 2026. Phase 2: Population Enumeration in February 2027," the Union Minister said.Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the government has approved Union Cabinet of Rs 11,718 crore for Census 2027 that will also include caste enumeration.ALSO READ | After 16-Year Gap, Centre Sets March 2027 For Nationwide CensusThe Census is the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world. According to a government note, the Census of India would be conducted in two phases:

• Houselisting and Housing Census - April to September, 2026
• Population Enumeration (PE) - February 2027

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23fbwqNVKWc

How Census 2027 Will Be Conducted

• For the UT of Ladakh and snow bound non-synchronous areas of UT of Jammu & Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, PE shall be conducted in September, 2026.
• About 30 lakh field functionaries will complete this gigantic exercise of national importance.
• Use of mobile app for data collection and the Central portal for monitoring purpose will ensure better quality data.
• Data dissemination will be much better and in a user friendly way so that all the queries on required parameters for policy making will be made available on the click of a button.
• Census-as-a-service (CaaS) will deliver data to ministries in a clean, machine-readable and actionable format.

The Census process involves visiting each and every household and canvassing separate questionnaire for House listing & Housing Census and Population Enumeration. It will cover the entire population in the country.The enumerators, generally government teachers and appointed by the State Governments, will be doing the field work of Census in addition to their regular duties.Other Census functionaries at Sub-district, District and State levels will also be appointed by the State/District Administration.ALSO READ | Karnataka’s Caste Census May Be Extended; School Timings Adjusted to Aid Survey Completion

What Are The New Initiatives Taken for Census 2027

• First Census by digital means in country. Data will be collected using mobile applications that will be available for both Android as well as iOS versions.
• A dedicated portal namely Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal has been developed for managing and monitoring the entire Census process on a real time basis.
• Houselisting Block (HLB) Creator web map application: Another innovation for Census 2027 is HLB Creator web map application to be used by the Charge Officers.
• Option to self-enumerate will be provided to the public.
• Suitable security features have been provisioned for this mammoth digital operation.
• Census 2027 will have a focused and wider publicity campaign for nationwide awareness, inclusive participation, last-mile engagement and support for field operations.
• It will emphasize on sharing accurate, authentic & timely information ensuring cohesive & effective outreach effort. (vili) Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, in its meeting on 30th April 2025 decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census ie. Census 2027.
• With the huge social and demographic diversity in our country and related challenges, the Census 2027 will also capture Caste data electronically in second phase, ie. Population Enumeration (PE).
• About 30 lakh field functionaries including Enumerators, Supervisors, Master Trainers, Charge Officers and Principal/ District Census Officers will be deployed for data collection, monitoring and supervision of Census operations.
• All the Census functionaries will be paid suitable honorarium for the work of Census as they will be doing this work in addition to their regular duties.