NEW DELHI. India has commenced the first phase of Census 2027, marking the beginning of the world’s largest population enumeration exercise. This will be the 16th Census overall and the 8th since independence. The census will be conducted in two phases—House Listing Operation (HLO) and Population Enumeration (PE)—with March 1, 2027 set as the reference date. For snow-bound regions such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date has been fixed as October 1, 2026.
For the first time, the census is being conducted digitally, with a self-enumeration option available to citizens until April 15. The House Listing and Housing Census will take place from April 16 to May 15, covering details of buildings, housing conditions, amenities, and assets. The process will also include geo-tagging of structures and assigning unique identification numbers. Eleven states and Union Territories, including Goa, Karnataka, Odisha, and parts of Delhi, will participate in this phase.
The second phase, Population Enumeration, will be conducted in February 2027 and will include caste enumeration. The government has allocated over Rs 11,718 crore for the exercise. Officials have emphasized that the self-enumeration system is secure and available in 16 languages, encouraging citizens to provide accurate information to ensure reliable data collection.
