First population count since 2011: Union Govt issues Gazette notification for Census 2027

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday officially kickstarted ‘Census 2027’ by issuing a notification for conducting the exercise after a gap of 16 years along with caste enumeration for the first time in independent India.

“...the Central Government hereby declares that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027,” the gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. The census operations will conclude by March 1, 2027.

Soon after the issuance of the notification, Congress described it as “a damp squib” that “merely repeats” earlier announcements and said the text of the notification is “silent” on the inclusion of caste enumeration and asked whether it was “yet another U-turn by the ‘ustad’ of U-turns or will details be announced later”.

Late evening, an MHA spokesperson said “some misleading information is being spread” that there is no mention of caste census in the notification and clarified that the “Census will include caste enumeration” and it has “already been mentioned in the press releases” dated April 30, June 4 and June 15.

Officials said that the notification does not need to mention it, as it will be part of questions.

The MHA notification said that the population count will be carried out with a reference date of October 1, 2026 in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“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,” it said.

This notification supersedes the one issued on March 26, 2019 to conduct the census in 2021. It was postponed for a future date as Covid-19 pandemic struck the country leading to a lockdown. Around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors along with other 1.3 lakh functionaries will be deployed for the exercise.

The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases -- House Listing Operation and population enumeration.

Sources indicated that the first phase of census is likely to be held between April 1 and September 30 next year and the second phase in the last 21 days of February in 2027 except for snow-clad areas where the population count is likely to be held between September 11 and 30.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said his party “firmly believes” that the census must adopt the Telangana model for not just caste enumeration but also bringing out detailed data information on socio-economic parameters caste-wise.

“It is entirely because of the persistence and insistence of the Congress that the PM surrendered to the demand for a caste census. He had called Congress leaders as urban Naxals for making this demand. Both in Parliament and in the Supreme Court, the Modi government had rejected the very idea of a caste census – which it announced 47 days back,” he said.

“Today's Gazette Notification is, however, silent on the inclusion of caste in the 16th Census. Is this yet another U-turn by the ustad of U-turns? Or will details be announced later?” he posted on X.

The last time India conducted a census was in 2011 but caste was not counted as part of the exercise, which is carried out under Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990.

The exercise, which will be the first-ever digital census in the country giving the citizens an opportunity to self-enumerate, will cost the government at least Rs 13,000 crore.