New Delhi: The next decennial Census of India will be conducted in 2027, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Monday, officially setting in motion the massive data collection exercise that was initially slated for 2021 but was deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in independent India’s history, the exercise will also include caste-based enumeration.
In a notification issued by the Registrar General of India, the government confirmed that administrative boundaries of districts, tehsils, and police stations will be frozen with immediate effect, a necessary step to demarcate enumeration blocks—the building blocks of Census data.
The reference date for the Census will be March 1, 2027, except in snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the Union Territory of Ladakh, where the enumeration will be based on data as of October 1, 2026.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed preparations for the upcoming Census in a high-level meeting held on Sunday. The mammoth exercise will be conducted in two phases — House Listing Operations and Population Enumeration — and is expected to conclude by March 2027.
More than 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors along with 1.3 lakh Census functionaries will be deployed across the country, making it one of the largest administrative exercises globally.
The 2027 Census will leverage digital tools, with the government planning to conduct the enumeration through a mobile application. A provision for self-enumeration will also be made available, allowing citizens to submit their data independently, officials said.
To ensure the security of sensitive personal data, the MHA has promised “very stringent data security measures” during the collection, transmission, and storage processes.
The Centre had on April 30 formally decided to include caste as part of the Census data. While the official notification released on Monday does not explicitly mention caste enumeration, the MHA clarified that caste will indeed be recorded as part of the upcoming Census.
“There is some misleading information being spread that there is no mention of caste census in the notification. It has already been mentioned in the Press Releases dated April 30, June 4, and June 15, 2025, that the Census will include caste enumeration,” the Ministry said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Experts say the caste census could have wide-ranging implications, particularly on the allocation of government welfare schemes and political representation, especially as the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats, based on the upcoming Census, is constitutionally permitted after 2026.
The government has not made any fresh announcements regarding the National Population Register (NPR), which was initially scheduled to be updated alongside the 2021 Census. The NPR was last updated in 2015 and currently holds data for over 119 crore residents.
In 2019, a pre-test covering over 26 lakh individuals in 76 districts was conducted to evaluate the use of digital tools in enumeration. A similar pre-test will precede the 2027 Census to assess technological readiness and field staff efficiency.
The government is expected to release separate notifications in the coming days detailing the timeline and scope of the pre-test and house listing operations.
The last population Census was conducted in 2011. With the upcoming exercise now scheduled for 2027, India will witness a 16-year gap between two full counts—an unprecedented delay in the country’s post-Independence history.
The Chenab Times News Desk