Census 2027 to log stay duration, migration causes: Ministry of Home Affairs

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday said the Census 2027 will collect migration related data, including duration of stay at the current residence and the reason for migration.

In a written reply to a question by Samajwadi Party MP Sanatan Pandey, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told Lok Sabha that information of every individual is collected at the place where they are found during the entire period of enumeration.

"Further, migration data is collected for each and every individual based on their place of birth and place of last residence. The census also collects information on the duration of stay at the current residence and the reason for migration," he said.

Rai was responding to a question on whether any special provisions are being made for counting migrant workers and temporary residents during the Census-2027 and whether a separate data collection process is proposed for the same.

He said questionnaire for Census is notified before conducting field work by the Central Government through the Official Gazette,” he said. The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases -- the first is the House Listing and Housing Census, between April and September 2026; and the second, Population Enumeration (PE), in February 2027.

Separately, the Registrar General of India (RGI) has issued a circular asking all states and union territories to complete the appointment of census functionaries by January 15 next year. It said enumerators and supervisors are the primary census functionaries responsible for data collection during the exercise, it said.

According to the circular, an enumerator is to be assigned the work of about 700-800 people and one supervisor is to be engaged for every six enumerators. Besides, there shall be 10% reserve enumerators and supervisors for any contingencies.

Rule 3 of the Census Rules 1990 said teachers, clerks or any official of a state government and local authority can be appointed as an enumerator, while a supervisor will be an officer generally of a rank higher than that of the enumerator.

States will also appoint census officers. In the districts, the district collectors, district magistrates or any nominated officers are designated as principal census officers, who will be responsible for the census operations in their jurisdiction, it said.