Thiruvananthapuram: Preparations for India’s 16th Census are set to begin, with the first phase of enumeration scheduled for February 2027. Meanwhile, the housing census will commence earlier, starting in April this year and is expected to be completed by September.

The Department of Public Administration has issued a formal notification assigning census-related responsibilities to officials ranging from district collectors to field-level officers, marking the commencement of the census process in the state.

The second phase of the Census 2027 will be conducted in February 2027 and will include a caste census. Significantly, this will be the first census to be conducted using digital platforms, with a dedicated mobile application and online portal being developed to facilitate data collection. The portal will also allow individuals to submit information directly, enhancing accuracy and efficiency.

A separate questionnaire will be prepared for the housing census, and officials will undertake door-to-door visits to collect data. District collectors will serve as the Principal Census Officers in their respective districts, while the Deputy Collector (General) will function as the District Census Officer.

At the district level, officers from the Local Joint Director to the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) will operate under the supervision of the Additional Census Officer. In taluks, Tahsildars will be responsible for census operations, while municipal secretaries of municipal corporations, municipal towns and cantonments have also been assigned census duties.

The upcoming exercise will be the 16th census of India and the eighth since Independence, marking a major milestone in the country’s demographic data collection process.