India will begin its first fully digital population census with Phase I starting on April 1, 2026. Announced by Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, this will be India’s 16th Census and the largest enumeration exercise globally, involving over 3 million officials.
Key Highlights:
- Digital Census: Data will be collected through mobile apps for the first time.
- Self-Enumeration: Citizens can fill their details online via a secure portal (in 16 languages) and generate a Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID) for verification.
- Legal Framework: Conducted under the Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990.
Timeline:
- Reference Date: March 1, 2027
(October 1, 2026 for snow-bound regions like Ladakh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand)
Two Phases:
- Phase I (April–September 2026):
House listing, housing conditions, amenities, and assets - Phase II (February 2027):
Population data including demographic, socio-economic, education, and caste enumeration
Scale & Infrastructure:
- Budget: ₹11,718 crore
- Coverage: 36 States/UTs, ~6.4 lakh villages, 5,000+ towns
- Digital tools: Mobile apps, self-enumeration portal, real-time monitoring dashboards
- Extensive training system for 31 lakh enumerators and supervisors
