Centre Issues Notification For 2027 Census, Long Due Nationwide Population Counting Exercise To Be Carried Out In Two Phases

The central government today (16 June) issued a notification for conducting the census in 2027, reported the The New Indian Express.

As per the notification, the reference date for the nationwide population enumeration exercise would be 1 March 2027 for all states and union territories except the snow-bound ones, i.e. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. For these regions, the reference date would be 1 October, 2026.

The notification comes after a review by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 15 June. The meeting saw the participation of high-level officials like the Union Home Secretary, the Registrar General and the Census Commissioner.

As many as 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh census functionaries be involved in carrying out operations.

The first phase, known as the Houselisting Operation (HLO) will collect data regarding housing conditions, household assets, and amenities. The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), will gather demographic, socio-economic, cultural, and other personal information.

The 2027 census is significant as caste will also be a part of the details collected.