The first phase of the 2027 Census, the world's largest population census exercise, will begin today. This will be the 16th census in the series, and the 8th since independence. The census will be conducted in two phases: House Listing (HLO) and Population Enumeration (PE), with March 1, 2027, as the reference date.
For snow-prone regions such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date has been set as October 1, 2026. More from our correspondent:
For the first time, the census will be conducted digitally, with the option of Self-Enumeration, which will take place from today until the 15th of this month. House Listing and Housing Census will begin on April 16th and continue until May 15th.
The HLO will involve listing all buildings and structures and collecting information on housing conditions, amenities, and assets. It will also include geo-tagging of buildings and assigning a unique identification number to each structure. Eleven states and Union Territories, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, NDMC area, and the Delhi Cantonment Board, will undertake the HLO process.
The second phase, Population Enumeration, will be conducted in February of next year.
Caste enumeration will be part of the second phase of the census. The Centre has approved an outlay of over 11,718 crore rupees for the 2027 census.
The Self-Enumeration exercise is a secure, web-based facility through which citizens will be able to directly enter their details online in 16 languages before the door-to-door survey.
Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, has assured that necessary measures for data security have been taken. He urged citizens to provide accurate and correct information to surveyors.
