Govt Approves Two-Phase Digital Census 2027 With Caste Enumeration
Census
4 min read
The central government has approved the 2027 population census to be conducted in two phases in digital mode and will also include caste enumeration. In 1931, the British conducted the last caste census in the country.
On 30th April 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the forthcoming population census.
The last nationwide decennial census was conducted in 2011. The 2021 census could not be started due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.
Schedule of the Population Census 2027
The population census will be conducted in two phases, just like the 2011 census.
Phase I will include house listing, and Phase II will include population enumeration, including caste.
The central government will release the schedule for Phase I and Phase II later in June 2025.
Reference Date
The census will begin early in the snowbound regions of the country.
- In the snow bound areas of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and the whole of the Union Territory of Ladakh, the census will commence from 1st October 2026.
- For the rest of the country, the census will start on 1st March 2027.
Census to be conducted in digital mode
The 2027 Population census will be conducted in digital mode.
There will be a dedicated census portal that will maintain the census data.
The census enumerator will go door to door and collect people’s data on tablets or smartphones linked with the portal.
People can also fill in their details on the census portal. After filling in the data at the portal, a unique ID will be generated and sent to the person's mobile number.
The person will share the ID with the census enumerator during the House listing phase to complete the census process.
Census in India
During Governor General Lord Mayo’s tenure, the first Census in India was conducted in 1872.
The census was not a synchronised census as it was conducted in different parts of India at different points of time in different parts of the country.
In 1881, when Lord Rippon was the Governor General of India, a census was conducted for the entire country simultaneously.
Legislation for the Census
- The Census Act 1948 was enacted to provide a statutory basis for the census in India.
- The census is conducted every 10 years.
- The Census is done by the Office of the Registrar General and the Census Commissioner. It comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
- After Independence, the first census was conducted in 1951.
- The 2027 census will be the eighteenth census since 1872 and the eighth since independence.
Registrar General and Census Commissioner - Mritunjay Kumar Narayan.
