Budget, Timelines And Firsts: Five Things You Should Know About Upcoming Census

The Registrar General of India (RGI) is in the process of getting the budget sanctioned for the much-awaited Census 2027. Here are five things you should know about the upcoming enumeration exercise:

1. Budget: A budget of Rs 14,618.95 crore has been requested, as per The Indian Express. For this, the RGI, a part of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), distributed a memorandum requesting the endorsement of the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).

The EFC is a central entity within the Ministry of Finance responsible for evaluating government initiatives and projects. Upon receiving approval from the EFC, the MHA will forward a proposal seeking the consent of the Union Cabinet.

2. Timeline: The houselisting operation will run from April to September 2026. The houselisting phase will involve the collection of data on housing conditions, household amenities, and assets owned by the households.

The population enumeration is set to commence in February 2027 across India. However, in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, it will take place in September 2026.

3. The Firsts: Sources have revealed that the forthcoming Census will mark a digital first, with data collection being conducted via specially designed mobile applications. The public will be given the opportunity to self-enumerate.

It will also be the first census collecting caste data in independent India. The caste data will also be electronically recorded. This decision to include caste enumeration was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) on 30 April.

4. The Scale: The upcoming Census will utilise over 35 lakh enumerators and supervisors for its execution, marking a more than 30 per cent increase from the 27 lakh functionaries employed for the 2011 Census.

It's understood that the RGI is in the process of creating a website, named the Census Monitoring & Monitoring System (CMMS), which will allow for real-time tracking and management of the entire operation.

5. The Process: The population Census, conducted every 10 years since 1872, will be undertaking its 16th collection, and the eighth since India gained its independence, in 2027.

The process involves gathering data at the village, town, and ward levels on a variety of parameters. These include housing conditions, amenities, assets, demographic information, religion, information on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, language, literacy, education, economic activity, migration, and fertility rates.