Centre announces Census 2027 schedule; four poll-bound states get exemption

BENGALURU: The Centre has announced the official schedule for the much-awaited 2027 Census, with door-to-door enumeration set to take place across the country from January 25 to February 28, 2027, according to the Union home ministry.

The exercise will also provide citizens with an option to submit their household details online before the commencement of the physical enumeration.

Self-enumeration facility from January 10

Under the schedule, the self-enumeration facility will remain open from January 10 to January 24, allowing residents to enter their household details through an online platform.

Following this, census enumerators will visit households between January 25 and February 28 to collect population-related information.

March 1, 2027, has been designated as the reference date for the exercise. A revision round will subsequently be conducted from March 1 to March 5 to verify and update the collected information.

Poll-bound states, snowbound regions excluded

The Centre has granted exemptions from the scheduled census exercise to Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, where assembly elections are expected to be held early next year.

Manipur has also been excluded until further orders.

In addition, Ladakh, along with snowbound areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, will not be covered under the current enumeration schedule.

India’s first fully digital Census

The 2027 Census will be conducted entirely through digital platforms, marking a significant shift in the country’s population enumeration process since Independence.

Mobile applications and online systems will be used to collect information, making the exercise technology-driven.

The Census is expected to provide comprehensive data on India’s population, social and economic conditions, and household structures. The information will play a crucial role in policy formulation, development planning and the allocation of public resources.

The nationwide exercise is considered significant as its findings will provide the government with updated demographic information for planning welfare schemes and future development programmes.