Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 12: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the proposal to conduct India’s first-ever Digital Census in 2027, at a cost of Rs 11,718 cr. The census, touted as the largest in the world, will be conducted in two phases.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw shared details of the cabinet decision, stating that the first phase – covering house listing and dwelling information – will be conducted between April and September 2026, while the second phase, involving the population count, will take place in February 2027.
Remote and snow-covered regions such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will have their census conducted in September 2026.
Around 30 lakh field workers will be engaged in the exercise, generating more than 1.5 cr man-days of employment, the minister added.
Portal development:
The 2027 census will mark India’s first completely digital census. The digital platform will provide user-friendly data entry, with all policy-relevant questions accessible at the click of a button. To ensure timely execution and supervision, a Census Management and Monitoring System Portal has been developed. The system will include robust security features and provide citizens the option for self-enumeration.
Inclusion of caste data:
The cabinet, in its meeting on April 30, 2025, decided to include caste enumeration in the 2027 census. Considering India’s vast social diversity, caste data will be electronically collected during the second phase of the census.
This historic digital initiative is expected to revolutionize data collection and provide critical inputs for policy planning and governance.