New Delhi: Nearly three months ahead of the launch of the first phase of the Census of India 2027, officials have finalised a detailed roadmap for the massive nationwide exercise after extensive consultations with stakeholders at the sub-district, district and state levels, sources associated with the operation said.
The discussions followed the successful completion of the pre-test exercise of Phase I — the Houselisting and Housing Census — earlier this month. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan lauded the efforts of all stakeholders, describing the pre-test as a critical milestone in India’s first-ever fully digital census.
Officials from the Centre and several states told ANI that the roadmap focuses on large-scale deployment of lakhs of field functionaries who will visit every household, the use of mobile applications for data collection, appointment of census officials at various administrative levels, and robust security mechanisms for the digital infrastructure. The first phase of the exercise is scheduled to be conducted between April and September 2026.
The Census of India 2027 will be carried out in two phases. The Houselisting and Housing Census will form the first phase, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027. For Ladakh, snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, population enumeration will be conducted earlier, in September 2026.
Officials said feedback received during the pre-test exercise was reviewed in detail during a conference chaired by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner earlier this month. Directors of Census Operations from all states and Union Territories, along with senior officers from the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, participated in the deliberations.
Addressing the conference on December 16, Narayan emphasised that high-quality census data depends on effective training and meticulous field execution. He expressed confidence that the administrative machinery across the country is prepared to conduct the exercise efficiently.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for Census 2027 on December 12, with an estimated expenditure of ₹11,718.24 crore. As decided earlier by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, caste enumeration will also be included. Census 2027 will be India’s 16th census and the eighth since Independence.
The census remains the country’s most comprehensive source of primary data at the village, town and ward levels, covering housing conditions, amenities, demographics, religion, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, language, literacy, education, migration, fertility and economic activity. The exercise is governed by the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990.
Around 30 lakh field functionaries are expected to be engaged for the operation, supported by approximately 18,600 technical personnel over nearly 550 days, generating an estimated 1.02 crore man-days of employment. Most enumerators will be government teachers deputed by state governments, while additional staff will be appointed at sub-district, district and state levels.
The government aims to release census data in the shortest possible time, with enhanced data visualisation and easier access down to the lowest administrative units. Officials said mobile applications for Android and iOS platforms will be used for data collection, while a central portal will enable real-time monitoring.
A dedicated Census Management and Monitoring System portal has already been developed, along with a Houselisting Block Creator web map application for charge officers. Citizens will also be given the option of self-enumeration, marking a significant step towards greater public participation in the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercise.
