Census 2027 set for two-phase rollout, first digital edition with caste enumeration

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet approved on Friday the proposal to carry out the Census of India 2027, the world's largest administrative and statistical undertaking, at an estimated cost of Rs 11,718.24 crore.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while outlining the Cabinet's decisions, noted that Census 2027 marks the sixteenth edition overall and the eighth since Independence.

"Census 2027 will be the first-ever digital census. The digital design of the census has been made keeping in mind data protection," he stated.

The Census of India will unfold in two phases: (i) Houselisting and Housing Census from April to September 2026, and (ii) Population Enumeration (PE) in February 2027 (with PE for the UT of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, plus states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, shifted to September 2026).

Roughly 30 lakh field personnel will undertake this massive national task.

An official statement highlighted that a mobile application for data gathering and a central portal for oversight will deliver superior data quality.

"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 statement added.

Census of India 2027 will encompass the nation's entire population.

The exercise requires enumerators to visit every household, administering distinct questionnaires for the Houselisting & Housing Census and Population Enumeration.

Enumerators, typically government teachers appointed by state governments, will handle fieldwork alongside their routine responsibilities.

Additional Census staff at sub-district, district, and state levels will be designated by state or district authorities.

The statement outlined fresh measures 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," it detailed.

"An option to self-enumerate will be provided to the public. Suitable security features have been provisioned for this mammoth digital operation," it further noted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Cabinet meeting.

The statement indicated that Census 2027 will feature an extensive publicity drive to boost nationwide awareness, foster inclusive involvement, enable last-mile outreach, and bolster field activities, with a strong focus on disseminating precise, reliable, and prompt information for unified and impactful communication.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, during its April 30 meeting this year, opted to incorporate caste enumeration into 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, i.e. Population Enumeration (PE)," the statement explained.

Around 30 lakh field staff, including Enumerators, Supervisors, Master Trainers, Charge Officers, and Principal/District Census Officers, will manage data collection, monitoring, and supervision. All personnel will receive appropriate honorarium, given their work atop regular duties.

The statement emphasised the swift nationwide release of Census 2027 data.

"Efforts will also be made to disseminate Census Results with more customised visualisation tools. Data sharing to all, up to the lowest Administrative Unit, i.e. Village/Ward level."

For the seamless execution of Census 2027, about 18,600 technical workers will be hired for roughly 550 days at the local levels, creating around 1.02 crore man-days of jobs.

The statement pointed out that deploying technical staff at the charge, district, and state levels will build skills in digital data management, oversight, and coordination. "This will also help in future employment prospects of these persons."

Census serves as the primary source of granular data at village, town, and ward levels, covering aspects like housing conditions, amenities and assets, demography, religion, SC & ST, language, literacy & education, economic activity, migration, and fertility, per the statement.

The Census Act, 1948, and Census Rules, 1990, furnish the legal basis for the operation.

With inputs from ANI