India’s decennial census, a cornerstone of national planning since 1872, was originally slated for 2021 but became the first in independent India’s history to be postponed, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of delay, the government has now formalised the exercise as Census 2027, marking the 16th national census and the eighth since independence. With preparations gaining momentum in early 2026, this fully digital endeavour promises to deliver more accurate and timely data, while addressing long-standing demands for comprehensive caste enumeration.

The New Timeline and Process

On January 7, 2026, the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI) issued a gazette notification for the first phase of Census 2027. The exercise will unfold in two distinct phases:

• Phase 1: Houselisting and Housing Census (April 1 to September 30, 2026)
  This stage will involve listing all buildings, households, and collecting data on housing conditions and amenities such as access to water, electricity, and toilets. It will be conducted over a 30-day period chosen by each state or Union Territory within the six-month window. A notable feature is the provision for self-enumeration, allowing households to submit details online or via app for 15 days prior to door-to-door visits.
• Phase 2: Population Enumeration (February 2027)
  The core population count, capturing demographic, socio-economic, and cultural details, will occur nationwide in February 2027, with the reference moment at midnight on March 1, 2027. For snow-bound regions—including Ladakh and parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand—the enumeration will take place earlier, in September 2026, with a reference date of October 1, 2026.

This will be India’s first fully digital census, relying on mobile applications (available on Android and iOS), online portals, and real-time monitoring. The Union Cabinet has approved a budget of ₹11,718.24 crore for the operation, which is expected to engage around 30 lakh field functionaries, including enumerators and supervisors.

A landmark inclusion is the enumeration of castes during the population phase—the first comprehensive caste data collection since the British-era census of 1931. Post-independence censuses had limited this to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), but Census 2027 will capture detailed caste information electronically, potentially informing affirmative action policies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and other groups.

Why the Delay Matters

The gap of over 15 years since the 2011 census—the longest in India’s history—has created significant challenges for governance and development:

• Welfare and Resource Allocation: Many flagship schemes, such as the National Food Security Act, rely on census data for beneficiary identification. Outdated 2011 figures have likely excluded millions born in the interim, leading to inefficiencies in food distribution, health, education, and poverty alleviation programs.
• Economic Planning and Statistics: Surveys like the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and National Sample Survey (NSS) use census frames for sampling. The delay has introduced inaccuracies in estimates of poverty, employment, inflation, and consumption patterns, hampering evidence-based policymaking.
• Political Representation: Delimitation of Lok Sabha and state assembly constituencies has been frozen based on 1971 data (extended until after the first census post-2026). Fresh data from 2027 will enable redrawal of boundaries to reflect current population distribution, alongside implementation of the 33% women’s reservation in legislatures.
• Social Justice: Without updated caste data, policies for reservations and targeted interventions for marginalised communities remain based on decades-old assumptions.
• Broader Impacts: From tracking migration and urbanisation to planning infrastructure, disaster response, and federal fund distribution via the Finance Commission, the absence of current data has ripple effects across sectors.

Census 2027 represents a pivotal shift towards modern, technology-driven data collection, with promises of faster processing and release of results. By bridging the data vacuum, it could transform India’s approach to inclusive growth and equitable development. As fieldwork commences in April 2026, the nation awaits insights into its evolving demographic landscape—one that will shape policies for decades to come.

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