Jammu, April 10: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo stated today that the 2027 Census is not just a counting exercise but a "National Digital Transformation Mission" that will lay the foundation for a developed India and data-driven governance.
Speaking at the Census 2027 Summit at Abhinav Theatre, Jammu, he said that India is at a critical "data inflection point," where data will be the key driver of economic growth in the age of AI. He highlighted the shift from the 2011 manual census to a fully digital, AI-enabled, paperless system, ensuring greater accuracy, speed, and transparency.
He emphasized that integrating census data with digital systems like JAM (Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile) will enable targeted welfare delivery and micro-level planning for health, education, and employment.
The Chief Secretary directed district administrations to complete the training of census staff and ensure preparedness for self-enumeration from May 17, 2026, and house-to-house surveys from June 1, 2026.
Chief Principal Census Officer Amit Sharma said that the 2027 Census will be conducted in two phases—a housing census in 2026 and population enumeration in September 2026 (in areas affected by snowfall) and February 2027 (in non-snowbound areas)—using mobile apps and a web-based self-enumeration portal in 16 languages.
Representatives from UNFPA India, UIDAI, and the G20 highlighted the importance of digital, secure, and inclusive data collection for effective policy-making and governance.