The Government of India today approved the scheme to conduct Indian Census 2027. As one of the largest administrative and statistical exercise of the world, the Indian Census 2027 will begin from April 2026 in two phases. The entire exercise would be done at the cost of Rs. 11,718.24 crore.
Here is a breakdown of the same – what is Census 2027, when would it be done and how as well as what all information would be collected.
What is Census 2027
Census is simply the collection of information regarding all persons living in a country (or region) at a specific time. This is a massive data collection exercise that pans across a geographical boundary and aims to collect detailed information regarding the person and household. The data is collected to get information regarding demographics, the actual population, economic activity, and other factors.
Because of the massive scale of data collection, it is usually conducted once in a periodic time scale – usually ten years. India’s last census was conducted in 2011 and was due in 2021. However, due to covid epidemic, the exercise was delayed.
Finally, the cabinet has approved the exercise, and Indian Census would now be conducted for the year 2027. What Census of India 2027 means is that the data would pertain to the actuals of the Indian population for the year 2027.
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When will Census 2027 be conducted
Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases in the country. The first phase would include houselisting and housing census which would be conducted from April 2026 till September 2026. The second phase – Population Enumeration or PE (which includes counting of the people and collecting demographic data) will begin from February 2027.
For winter zone areas (UT of Ladakh and snow bound areas of UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), the Phase 2 or PE will be carried out in September 2026.
How is Census 2027 conducted?
Census, by virtue, requires a physical verification exercise. In simplest terms, it means that a government official will knock on each and every door in the country to collect information.
Since, India is a large country with possibly the largest population in the world – the massive exercise would deploy about 30 lakh field functionaries. The Digital India drive would further enable data collection where mobile apps will be used and central portal would monitor the data collection to ensure quality control. Census as a service – CaaS will be able to provide data to ministries in a reliable and machine readable as well as actionable format.
Who will collect the data and how?
Census data is collected by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. This data is collected by means of questionnaires that citizens are required to fill/ or provide answers for.
The field operatives are usually central government employees, largely teachers of central and state run schools. These employees are required to physically visit and collect the information. All deployed on Census duty are accordingly paid an honorarium for the work.
As per the official release, ‘About 30 lakh field functionaries including Enumerators, Supervisors, Master Trainers, Charge Officers and Principal/ District Census Officers will be deployed for data collection, monitoring and supervision of Census operations. ‘
Furthermore, about 18,600 technical manpower will also be deployed for about 550 days at local levels. This in total makes Census India a task that encompasses 1.02 crore man days of work.
What all data points would be collected?
The complete list/ questionnaire would be provided on the public domain for all to see. Broadly, the data points would include information regarding education, demographic profile, economic profile and status, religious profile, gender, caste, etc.
This is the first time the data will also capture caste of a person and would be collected during the Population Enumeration or Phase II of the Census.
Why is this important?
Census is an important planning tool. As a physical verification of the measure of the country, Census data provides the actual ground realities. The data thus collected is then used by the state and central governments to better plan and allocate resources. Apart from being economically crucial, census also provides a larger snapshot of the social structure of the country, thus helping better administrative planning for the future.
Is it mandatory to provide data for Census of India?
Yes. As the citizen of the country, it is the duty of every person to participate in the census. A lot of statistical data is collected. Giving accurate information – as far as possible, would help the country become stronger.