Union Cabinet Approves Census of India 2027, India’s First Fully Digital Census

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the Censusof India 2027, allocating ₹11,718.24 crore for the country’s largest administrative and statistical exercise.

The 2027 Census will be India’s first fully digital Census, featuring mobile-based data collection, real-time monitoring through a centralised portal, and self-enumeration options for the public.

The exercise will be conducted in two phases: Houselisting and Housing Census from April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration (PE) in February 2027. In Ladakh and snow-bound regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, PE will be carried out in September 2026.

An estimated 30 lakh field personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, will be deployed nationwide, most of whom will be government school teachers performing Census duties alongside their regular responsibilities.

Data will be collected entirely via mobile applications compatible with both Android and iOS, supported by the Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal for real-time operations tracking. Additionally, the Census will include a web-based Houselisting Block (HLB) Creator application for charge officers.

The 2027 Census will, for the first time, include caste enumeration, captured electronically during the Population Enumeration phase, following approval by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on April 30, 2025.

Over 18,600 technical personnel will be engaged for around 550 days at the local level, generating approximately 1.02 crore man-days of employment. Officials highlighted that the digital nature of the Census will enhance technical skills in data handling and monitoring, aiding future employment opportunities.

Authorities aim to release the Census results quickly, with improved visualization tools and data accessibility down to village and ward levels. A Census-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform will allow ministries to access clean, machine-readable datasets for policymaking.

The 2027 exercise will be India’s 16th Census and the eighth since Independence. Conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and Census Rules, 1990, it provides the most comprehensive database on demographic, social, and economic indicators at the micro level, covering parameters such as housing conditions, amenities, religion, language, education, economic activity, migration, and fertility.

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