NEW DELHI: The Census process, put on hold five years ago due to the Covid pandemic, got off the ground on Monday with the home ministry notifying the Centre’s intent to take a census of the country’s population in 2027. No parallel National Population Register (NPR) updation may happen alongside the Census, according to government sources.The reference date for Census 2027 – the first to be held in digital mode – will be 00.00 hours of the first day of March 2027. For the UT of Ladakh and snow-bound areas of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be advanced by six months, to 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2026.According to sources, Census 2027 – which is likely to put out final population data by 2027-end, setting the stage for delimitation and, based on it, implementation of women’s quota in legislatures by the 2029 general election and, eventually, increase in strength of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies – is likely to replicate the schedule of past decennial exercises. It will be held in two phases – housing listing operations, likely between April 1, 2026, and Sept 2026, followed by population enumeration from Feb 9 to 28, 2027.
Caste enumeration – a first since the 1931 Census – is likely to be done in the second phase.Sources indicated that the government is keen on a standalone Census exercise, rather than club it with NPR updation, which was to be done in 2020, simultaneously with the household listing phase of Census 2021.The notification regarding the intent to update NPR along with Census 2021 was issued on July 31, 2019. NPR was first prepared in 2010 and updated in 2015.The NPR database, as per Citizenship Rules, is the basis for the creation of a National Register of Indian Citizens. The enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019 and a “leaked” NPR schedule were interpreted by some sections at the time as a move to disenfranchise Muslims, a charge refuted by the government.Interestingly, the BJP manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls had dropped the NRC promise. Census notifications are issued separately for each of its phases.For instance, the notification on intent to conduct Census 2021 was issued on March 26, 2019, and the pre-test notification on June 25, 2019. The schedule and questions for the housing listing phase were notified on January 9, 2020.Strict measures will be in place to ensure data security: MHAThe notification on population enumeration was never issued for Census 2021. However, for Census 2011, it was issued on Aug 31, 2010. Since caste may be recorded only in the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, an intent in this regard may be notified only next year.A notification regarding a fresh pre-test — to test the updated Census 2027 processes and software in the field — will follow soon; the actual pre-test may happen in August-September 2025. This is despite a pre-test having been conducted in August-September 2019 ahead of Census 2021. Refresher training in the coming months will reorient the 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and 1.3 lakh Census functionaries in the use of Census apps and the Census management and monitoring system, and also on how to capture caste. In a first, people can self-enumerate in both Census phases.On Sunday, Amit Shah reviewed Census preparations with MHA officials, registrar general and the Census Commissioner. “Stringent measures will be in place to ensure data security at the time of collection, transmission & storage,” MHA said.