New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved an expenditure of ₹11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India 2027, which will be the country’s first census to be carried out entirely in digital mode. The upcoming exercise will also, for the first time, include caste enumeration as part of the data collection process.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the government has approved the proposal for the 16th census since India’s Independence, describing it as a major national administrative exercise that will rely on technology-driven methods.
According to the government, around 30 lakh enumerators will be deployed across the country to carry out the census operations. In a significant shift from previous exercises, citizens will also be given the option of self-enumeration, allowing individuals to submit their information directly through digital platforms.
Delayed Census to Be Conducted in Phases
The Census of India was originally scheduled to be conducted in 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the Cabinet’s approval now in place, the census will be carried out over two distinct phases spanning 2026 and 2027.
The first phase, known as the house listing and housing census, will be conducted between April and September 2026. This phase will focus on collecting data related to housing conditions, amenities, and household assets.
The second phase, population enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027. During this phase, detailed demographic information will be collected from individuals across the country.
However, for regions with challenging climatic conditions, a different timeline has been set. In Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, population enumeration will take place earlier, in September 2026, to account for weather-related accessibility issues.
Digital Data Collection and Legal Safeguards
Vaishnaw stated that all data for Census 2027 will be collected using mobile applications, marking a complete transition away from traditional paper-based methods. He emphasised that existing personal data protection laws will apply throughout the process, ensuring that information collected from citizens remains protected under the law.
The digital format is expected to improve efficiency, accuracy, and speed in data collection and processing, while also reducing logistical challenges associated with large-scale manual operations.
Census-as-a-Service Model
Another key feature of Census 2027 will be the introduction of a Census-as-a-Service (CaaS) model. Under this approach, census data will be processed into clean, machine-readable formats that can be securely shared with government ministries and departments.
The government said this model is intended to support evidence-based policymaking by enabling ministries to access structured and reliable data for planning and implementation purposes. The use of digital systems is also expected to allow faster data availability compared to previous censuses.
Scale of the National Exercise
With approximately 30 lakh enumerators involved and nationwide coverage, Census 2027 will remain one of the largest administrative exercises undertaken by the government. Officials said the combination of digital tools, self-enumeration, and phased execution is designed to manage the scale of the operation more effectively.
The approval of funding and timelines marks a key step toward resuming the census process after the pandemic-related delay, setting the stage for a comprehensive update of demographic and housing data across the country.
