Census to begin from March 1, 2027; Centre issues official notification

Business Standard

5 hours ago

The Union Home Ministry on Monday announced the dates for India's long-awaited population census — the first since 2011 — setting the stage for a two-phase digital exercise scheduled for October 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027.
For the first time, the nationwide headcount will go digital, allowing citizens to respond from their homes via smartphones or digital platforms.
What happens in each phase?
The first phase, known as the Houselisting Operation (HLO), will begin on October 1, 2026. It will focus on collecting detailed data on households — including assets, income, housing conditions, and access to basic amenities like water, electricity, and toilets.
The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), will start on March 1, 2027. This phase will gather personal and demographic details — such as age, gender, education, occupation, religion, and language — of every individual living in the household.
The upcoming census will also include caste-based enumeration, the first such exercise since Independence. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed the inclusion of caste data in April, making it one of the most comprehensive censuses ever conducted in India.
Digital and inclusive: A first for India
This will also be India's first digital census, a step aimed at increasing accuracy and efficiency. With the option to self-enumerate from home, the process is expected to be more accessible and transparent than ever before.
The last census was conducted in 2011. The 2021 exercise was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making this the longest gap between censuses in independent India.
What it means for policy and politics
The announcement of the Census 2026-27 also sets the stage for key legislative changes, including the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill and the long-pending delimitation exercise.
The Women's Reservation Bill — which seeks to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women — can only take effect after a fresh census, followed by delimitation.
Delimitation refers to the redrawing of electoral constituencies based on population shifts. While it was last carried out based on the 1971 Census, the process was frozen by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976 until 2000.
Later, the 84th Amendment Act of 2001 permitted limited boundary adjustments within states based on the 2001 Census, but the total number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats remained unchanged. This amendment, in a way, also extended the freeze on full delimitation till the first census post-2026.