New Delhi: India is gearing up for its largest data-gathering mission yet, with the Union Cabinet — led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — approving the rollout of the Census of India 2027 along with a mega budget of ₹11,718.24 crore.
Under the approved plan, the Census will be conducted in two sweeping phases:
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Houselisting & Housing Census: April to September 2026
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Population Enumeration: February 2027
Snow-bound territories — including Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — will start population enumeration early, from September 2026, owing to climatic constraints.
#Cabinet approves scheme of Conduct of Census of India 2027 at a cost of Rs.11,718.24 crore
💠 The #CensusofIndia would be conducted in two phases:
👉 Houselisting and Housing Census – April to September, 2026
👉 Population Enumeration (PE) – February 2027 (For the UT of… pic.twitter.com/1aOPECFgy6
— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 12, 2025
With nearly 30 lakh enumerators set to hit the field, the exercise is poised to be one of the world’s largest administrative operations.
Marking a sharp tech shift, the 2027 Census will use a dedicated mobile application for real-time data capture and a central monitoring dashboard to enhance accuracy, speed and transparency.
This will be India’s 16th Census and 8th since Independence, promising the country’s most comprehensive snapshot yet — covering demography, housing conditions, religion, SC/ST data, language, literacy, migration patterns, economic activity, fertility indicators and more.
The entire operation will be governed by the legal framework of the Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990, ensuring a structured and secure execution of the nation’s biggest counting exercise.
