The Central government on Monday published a gazette notification announcing the initiation of the 2027 caste based census. This will be India’s 16th census since independence. The population census will be carried out in two phases and will be the first full-fledged census in the country after a 16-year hiatus after 2011.
Based on the notification, the mega enumeration activity will start from October 1, 2026, in snow-laden states like Ladakh and the hilly areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The remaining India will witness the census rollout from March 1, 2027.
Notification for #Census2027 has been issued. With this, process of Census has commenced.
Reference Date: 1st March 2027 for all States/UTs except for Ladakh and snow-bound areas of J&K, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand where it’ll be 1st October 2026@HMOIndia @PIBHomeAffairs pic.twitter.com/3WOWqSB9nb
— Census India 2027 (@CensusIndia2027) June 16, 2025
“The reference date for the said census shall be 00.00 hours of the 1st day of March, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” stated the official release.
Census After a 16-Year Gap
The previous country-wide census was held in 2011. As a result of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other procedural challenges, the 2021 exercise that was planned was put off. The census of 2027 plans to fill the 16-year gap using advanced technology and digitalised procedures.
The Centre announced that the operation will have about 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors backed by 1.3 lakh trained functionaries who will have digital equipment. The census will be completely digital this time, with higher standards of data security during collection, transmission, and storage.
Two-Phase Enumeration: HLO and PE
The exercise will be carried out in two phases:
Houselisting Operation (HLO): Government officials will collect information on dwelling conditions, facilities, and assets of every household.
Population Enumeration (PE): It will document demographic, socio-economic, and cultural data of every individual.
Self-Enumeration to Empower Citizens
The government will also provide citizens with the opportunity to engage in the census via a self-enumeration portal that has been created by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI). Moreover, the Self-Enumeration (SE) web portal allows users to conveniently input and update data for household members online.
The portal will authenticate users through a one-time password (OTP) sent to registered mobile numbers. Respondents can add new members, edit details, and mark persons who have shifted or expired.
Though the BJP-led government had previously censured calls for caste enumeration by the opposition, it did a turnaround this year by declaring a census of castes. Consequently, political pundits consider the development a game-changer ahead of future elections, especially given the increasing emphasis on social justice and representation.
