A pre-test of Census for software evaluation, aimed at refining digital systems for data collection, took place in November 2025.
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MOORTHY RV
The process of carrying out Census 2027 was formally rolled out on Wednesday, with the Ministry of Home Affairs issuing a notification for phase one, which will involve houselisting and housing enumeration across states and union territories from April 1 to September 30 this year.
A provision for self-enumeration will be available for 15 days prior to the commencement of the six-month-long house-to-house ordeal, the notification said.
The second phase of Census, which was supposed to take place in 2021 but got postponed due to The Covid-19 pandemic, to record population and other associated information will happen from February 2027. As outlined earlier by the Ministry, the reference date for population enumeration will be March 1, 2027 for entire country. However, for the snow-laden and remote hilly areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh, it will be October 1, 2026.
The first phase of houselisting and housing Census covers methodical mapping of all buildings and houses, collecting data on dwelling conditions (materials, amenities like water, sanitation, electricity), household assets (like TV and phone), and household structure to create a foundation for the second phase. In the follow-up, population enumeration will be focusing on demographics, socio-cultural, and economic information for all individuals.
A pre-test of Census for software evaluation, aimed at refining digital systems for data collection, took place in November 2025. This trial marked a significant step towards India’s first-ever fully digital Census, replacing traditional paper-based schedules with a mobile application-based data collection system. This digital operation uses mobile apps for data collection and allows for self-enumeration, ensuring a comprehensive count for planning and resource allocation.
In Karnataka, three districts — Bengaluru Urban, Uttara Kannada and Chamarajanagar — were selected for the exercise, with the objective to assess the functioning and efficiency of the digital application across diverse geography, from urban regions to those with limited mobile network connectivity.
The enumeration exercise is also significant because it will capture different castes for the first time since 1931 and Census would be used for delimitation of electoral constituencies across states and UTs.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on December 12 had approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2027 at a cost of ₹11,718.24 crore.
Published on January 8, 2026
