The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved Rs 11,718 crore for the Census 2027, which will be India's first digital census. Caste enumeration will be included in the second phase. This will be the first census in 16 years since 2011.
The Indian government has sanctioned Rs 11,718 crore for the Census 2027, the world's largest administrative and statistical exercise. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Friday that it will be the first digital census, designed with data protection in mind.
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided on April 30 to include caste enumeration in the second phase of Census 2027. The census will be conducted in two phases: houselisting and housing from April to September 2026; population enumeration in February 2027 (for the UT of Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand in September 2026).
This will be the 16th census in the series and the eighth since independence. About 30 lakh field functionaries will complete the exercise. Data will cover housing conditions, amenities and assets, demography, religion, SC & ST status, language, literacy, economic activity, migration, and fertility.
Digital features include mobile applications for Android and iOS, the Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal for real-time management, and a self-enumeration option for the public. A gazette notification will soon detail the data fields. Conducted 16 years after the 2011 census, it comes amid discussions on inclusivity and community representation; the caste data will be crucial for policymaking and social welfare schemes.
