New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday announced that the 2027 Census of India, which will include caste enumeration, will be conducted in two phases, with March 1, 2027, as the national reference date and October 1, 2026, as the reference date for snow-bound regions.
The census, postponed from its original 2021 schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will mark the first time caste data is officially collected since Independence. The ministry, in its official statement, confirmed: “The reference date for Population Census – 2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026.”
The Census is being carried out after a gap of 16 years as the last one was held in 2011. Over 30 lakh enumerators and their supervisors are likely to be engaged to carry out the mega exercise.
The population of the country as per the Census 2011 was 1210.19 million of which 623.72 million (51.54 per cent) were males and 586.46 million (48.46 per cent) were females.
The Home Ministry added that the notification for conducting the Census with these dates is expected to be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025, in accordance with Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948.
According to officials familiar with the planning, the first phase of the census will begin in the snow-bound regions in late 2026, followed by the second and final phase across the rest of the country in February 2027. This phase is scheduled to conclude on the reference date of March 1, 2027.
It remains uncertain whether the National Population Register (NPR) will be updated concurrently. A senior government official noted, “There is no final word yet on NPR. It was to be updated alongside the 2021 Census, but the pandemic disrupted all fieldwork.”
This edition of the census will also be the country’s first digital census, enabling citizens to self-enumerate through an online portal. A senior official in the Registrar General of India’s (RGI) office said, “Digital enumeration will make the process more efficient and reduce errors. Citizens will have the choice to update their information themselves.”
The overall budget for the entire census operation is expected to exceed Rs 13,000 crore. Back in December 2019, the Union Cabinet had approved Rs 8,754.23 crore for the Census 2021, along with Rs 3,941.35 crore for updating the NPR. However, the Budget for 2025-26 allocated only Rs 574.80 crore under the head of census surveys and statistics. A government functionary dismissed concerns over the allocation. “Budget is not a constraint. The required funds will be released when necessary,” the official said.
The decision to include caste enumeration in the 2027 Census came after the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took a policy decision on April 30. A statement issued that day said the inclusion was “in the interest of strengthening the social fabric and ensuring economic and social development across all communities.”
Caste details have not been collected as part of the census since 1931. Post-Independence censuses have excluded such enumeration. While the UPA government in 2011 conducted the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), it was considered a separate survey and not part of the regular decennial exercise.
The government’s April 30 statement said, “While many state governments have conducted their own surveys, the lack of transparency and varied intent behind such surveys have led to doubts among sections of society.” It added that bringing caste enumeration into the formal census would prevent politicization and ensure uniformity in data collection.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier addressed the issue of caste census in Parliament, assuring that it would be considered by the Cabinet. A Group of Ministers was formed, and most political parties supported the idea, but the eventual decision was to conduct the SECC instead.
The upcoming census is also expected to collect detailed information on household assets and amenities. As per a list prepared by the Office of the Registrar General, citizens will be asked about access to telephones, internet, mobile phones, vehicles like scooters or cars, and household items such as refrigerators and televisions.