SHAHID K ABBAS
New Delhi, Dec 12 (UNI) The union Cabinet on Friday approved the scheme for conducting the Census of India 2027, allocating Rs 11,718.24 crore for the massive national exercise.
Announcing the decision at a press conference, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the scale and significance of the upcoming census.
“The Census of India is the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world, and Census 2027 will continue this legacy with modern digital tools to ensure accuracy and efficiency,” he said.
The Census will be conducted in two phases — the Houselisting and Housing Census from April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027. For the union Territory of Ladakh and snow-bound regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the population enumeration will take place in September 2026.
About 30 lakh field functionaries, including government teachers appointed by state governments, will be mobilized to visit every household across the nation. These enumerators will collect data using mobile applications available on both Android and iOS platforms. This marks the first fully digital Census in India’s history.
The government has developed a dedicated Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal for real-time management and supervision. Another innovation is the Houselisting Block Creator web map application to assist Charge Officers. There will also be an option for self-enumeration by the public, ensuring wider participation.
Minister Vaishnaw emphasized, “Use of mobile apps and a centralized portal will improve data quality and enable user-friendly dissemination. Census-as-a-service (CaaS) will provide ministries with clean, machine-readable data for effective policy-making.”
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs in its meeting on 30th April had decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. This data will be captured electronically during the Population Enumeration phase.
The census will generate substantial employment opportunities, with approximately 18,600 technical staff engaged locally for about 550 days, translating to around 1.02 crore man-days of employment. These roles will also build digital data handling and monitoring capacities, enhancing future employment prospects.
The Census of India, conducted every 10 years, is the primary source of detailed demographic, social, and economic data at the village and ward levels. The 2027 Census will be the 16th in the country and the 8th since independence, governed by the Census Act, 1948, and Census Rules, 1990.
“The Census 2027 will provide comprehensive data on housing, amenities, demography, religion, caste, language, literacy, economic activity, migration, and fertility. This will be crucial for planning and governance at all levels,” Vaishnaw concluded.
With a focused publicity campaign planned, the government aims to ensure inclusive participation and accurate enumeration, underscoring the Census’s vital role in shaping India’s future.
