India’s First Digital Census to Allow Self-Enumeration via Web Portal, Set for 2026-27
India’s 16th census and eighth since Independence
In a groundbreaking move, India’s upcoming Census 2027 will introduce self-enumeration through a dedicated web portal, marking the country’s first fully digital census, officials announced Monday, per PTI. The portal, accessible during both phases—Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) from April 1, 2026, and Population Enumeration (PE) from February 1, 2027—will allow citizens to directly input their data, a first in India’s census history.
Enumerators will collect data using mobile apps on Android and Apple devices, transmitting information electronically to a central server for faster processing. “This digital initiative is a transformational step toward modernizing the Census,” an official said, emphasizing early data availability and robust security measures for collection, transmission, and storage. The census will also record caste details of household members, a significant inclusion.
The reference date is set for March 1, 2027, with October 1, 2026, for snowbound areas like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. As India’s 16th census and eighth since Independence, the exercise follows a June 16 gazette notification. The Registrar General of India (RGI) has implemented a three-tier training system—national, master, and field trainers—to prepare 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors.
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To ensure accuracy, states and Union Territories must finalize administrative boundary changes by December 31, 2025, as census operations require fixed boundaries for districts, tehsils, and other units at least three months prior. RGI Mritunjay Kumar Narayan explained that villages and towns will be divided into uniform enumeration blocks, each assigned an enumerator to prevent errors or overlaps. The ₹12,000-crore project aims to enhance efficiency and accessibility, building on lessons from the delayed 2021 Census, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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