New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved Rs 11,718 crore for the Census 2027, marking a major step in modernising India’s demographic data collection, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced at a press conference.
The minister highlighted that this will be the first-ever fully digital census in the country.
Census 2027 is scheduled to be conducted in two phases: the House Listing and Housing Census from April to September 2026, followed by the Population Enumeration in February 2027. Vaishnaw also confirmed that caste enumeration will be included in the upcoming exercise.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, responding to a query by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, explained that the first phase will span 30 days, timed according to the convenience of state and union territory governments.
He added that the census questionnaire has been finalised after consultations with various ministries, departments, organisations and data users, ensuring it captures all relevant demographic, socio-economic, and housing information.
The Census 2027 is expected to provide comprehensive, digitally enabled insights into India’s population, supporting evidence-based policymaking and development planning across sectors.
