PFI calls for 'inclusive, accurate, equity-focused' census, raises 'risk of exclusion'

New Delhi: As the government announced a time-table for Census 2027, the Population Foundation of India (PFI) on Thursday called for strong safeguards to ensure that the count is “inclusive, accurate, and equity-focused” while warning that the digital dominated exercise raises “risks of exclusion”.

In a statement, PFI Executive Director Poonam Muttreja said this Census is not just about counting people but a “correcting course” as it comes 16 years after the last exercise.

“Development planning has been constrained for over a decade by outdated data. We have a critical opportunity now to ensure that the Census reflects the lived realities of all Indians, especially marginalised communities,” she said.

She said the PFI, an NGO founded by JRD Tata in 1970, strongly supports the inclusion of caste-disaggregated data in the Census as it shapes access to health, education, and employment, but remains invisible in national datasets. “We cannot build inclusive policies if we do not measure exclusion,” she said.

Since 2011 when the country conducted a Census last, she said India has undergone rapid changes in population, migration, and urbanisation but public policy – from food distribution to health infrastructure – has relied on outdated baselines.

“This Census is essential for aligning public investment with real needs, especially in underserved districts and growing urban peripheries,” she said.

While acknowledging that the move to a digital Census as a “major innovation”, she warned that it raises “risks of exclusion” for rural and marginalised households, as many face barriers in digital access, literacy, and language.

The PFI cautions that if digital self-enumeration becomes the norm without adequate safeguards, it could reinforce undercounting of precisely those left behind, she said adding, “marginalised groups must not become data shadows in a digital-first approach. The government must retain in-person enumeration where needed and invest in socially diverse, trained enumerator teams.”

Calling for a gender-sensitive design and implementation of Census tools, Muttreja said women’s data has been historically underreported and especially in self-enumeration formats led by male household members.

“We recommend that the census exercise includes: individual-level enumeration for all adults wherever possible; gender-balanced data collection teams; and recognition of unpaid care work in data categories. Gender data gaps lead to policy blind spots. Women and girls must not remain invisible in the datasets that drive national planning,” she said.

“Population Foundation of India urges policymakers to view Census 2027 not merely as a logistical task, but as a democratic commitment—to see and serve every Indian. Equity begins with visibility. This is our opportunity to get it right,” she added.