Census of India: Cabinet Approves Digital Census Mission

In a move set to redefine India’s data ecosystem, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Census of India 2027, allocating ₹11,718.24 crore to conduct what will become the world’s largest digital census. The approval marks a historic shift—transforming a centuries-old paper-driven exercise into a modern, technology-powered operation designed for speed, accuracy, and nationwide inclusivity.

Census of India: A Two-Phase Nationwide Exercise

The Census of India 2027 will be rolled out in two major phases:

• Houselisting and Housing Census: April–September 2026

• Population Enumeration: February 2027
  For Ladakh and snow-bound regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, enumeration will take place earlier—September 2026—to accommodate extreme weather.

With nearly 30 lakh field functionaries, this will be one of the most extensive administrative operations on the planet.

India’s First Fully Digital Census

For the first time, the Census of India will be conducted entirely through digital systems:

Key Digital Innovations

• Mobile Application for Data Collection (Android & iOS)

• Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) for real-time oversight

• HLB Creator Web Map Application to help Charge Officers map houselisting blocks

• Self-enumeration option for citizens—enabling participation from home

• Secure digital architecture to protect sensitive demographic data

• Census-as-a-Service (CaaS) allowing ministries to access clean, machine-readable datasets

These innovations ensure that policymakers, researchers, and institutions will have faster access to actionable data “at the click of a button.”

Census of India: Caste Enumeration to Be Included

Following the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs’ decision on 30 April 2025, the Census of India 2027 will include caste enumeration during the Population Enumeration phase. This is expected to generate a detailed socio-economic dataset critical for welfare planning, resource allocation, and policy reform.

Massive Workforce and Economic Impact

Beyond national data collection, the Census will generate significant employment:

• 18,600 technical personnel to be engaged for 550 days

• Equivalent to 1.02 crore man-days generated

• Skill development in digital data handling, analytics, monitoring, and coordination

Enumerators—primarily school teachers—along with supervisors, master trainers, district-level officers, and Charge Officers will receive additional honorariums for Census duties.

Why Census 2027 Matters

The upcoming census will be India’s 16th, and the 8th since Independence. It remains the largest primary data source for:

• Housing & living conditions

• Infrastructure & basic amenities

• Education & literacy

• Employment patterns

• Migration flows

• Language & religion

• SC/ST data

• Fertility indicators

With the introduction of digital tools and real-time systems, the Census of India 2027 promises rapid data delivery down to the village and ward levels, enabling micro-targeted policy decisions.