NEW DELHI: Setting the stage for the world’s largest enumeration exercise, the Cabinet approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting Census 2027, which will be in two phases and include a caste count for the first time. March 1, 2027 has been set as the reference date for the census. For snow-bound areas, it is Oct 1, 2026.I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “This will become the first-ever digital census” and for the first time there will be an option for self-enumeration. The exercise will be done using mobile applications that will be available for both Android and iOS versions for data collection and the central portal for monitoring purposes will ensure better quality data.”A dedicated portal, Census Management & Monitoring System, has been developed for tracking the entire process real-time basis,” a govt statement said.
Census will be conducted in two phases, says Vaishnaw
Houselisting block creator web map application will be another innovation for Census 2027 which will be used by in-charge officers. Around 30 lakh enumerators would be involved in the entire exercise and little over one crore human-days employment will be generated. The last Census was conducted in 2011.I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Census will be conducted in two phases – house-listing and housing census from April to Sept, 2026; and population enumeration in Feb 2027. For Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of J&K and states of Himachal and Uttarakhand, the exercise will be conducted next Sept, he said.Home minister Amit Shah posted on X, “The outcome of the Census 2027 will serve as the new compass for development, mirroring India’s latest population data with more accuracy.” In the first phase, data on housing conditions and amenities available in the households will be collected. In the second phase, data on demographic, socio-cultural and economic parameters, details on age, gender, caste, occupation, migration and fertility will be captured. There will also be a revisional round for people to submit their objections – March 1-5, 2027 across states and UTs and Oct 1-5, 2026 for snow-bound areas. Responding to a question, the minister said a notification will be issued giving details of what questions would be asked and these will be arrived at after proper consultation. He added that all safeguards will be taken to protect the personal data as per law.In response to another question, Vaishnaw said people give details of their own caste and it’s completely optional for a person to give such details. On whether the govt will release the data on caste and other economic parameters of people, he said that mostly aggregated data is published while individual data won’t be made public as per data protection law. “Personal data will be treated as confidential,” Vaishnaw said.
