New Delhi: After a sixteen-year hiatus, India is set to undertake its next Population Census in 2027, as formally announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through a gazette notification on Monday. This marks the country’s first national enumeration since 2011, with the 2021 Census having been deferred due to the unforeseen challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The comprehensive exercise, often lauded as the world’s largest administrative and statistical undertaking, will unfold in two distinct phases across the nation. The MHA notification meticulously outlines the reference dates for the enumeration process, factoring in the diverse geographical and climatic conditions prevalent across India’s vast landscape. For the majority of states and Union Territories, the reference date for data collection will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027. However, acknowledging the unique challenges of specific regions, the Union Territory of Ladakh, along with the snow-bound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, will observe an earlier reference date of 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.
This crucial development signifies the formal commencement of preparations for the upcoming census, which will be conducted under the established framework of the Census Act of 1948. The latest notification supersedes the previous one issued in March 2019, reflecting the updated timeline and logistical planning. The last completed census, conducted in 2011, saw the decadal cycle interrupted for the first time since India’s independence, a direct consequence of the pandemic. The 2027 timeline, therefore, signals a return to the regular enumeration cycle, with expectations of integrating advanced technological tools for data collection and enhancing overall data precision, although further details regarding preparatory phases and digital enhancements are awaited from official channels.
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