Census activities at an advanced stage, first phase to start from April 1: RGI Mritunjay Kumar Narayan

Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan said on Monday, March 30, 2026, that census activities for the 2027 census are at an advanced stage. He added that field operations of the first phase of the census will begin in some states from April 1.

Mr. Narayan noted that the 2027 census will be carried out in two stages and this time the counting will be done digitally.

The first phase will work as a framework for the final counting phase in which around 31 lakh enumerators and auditors along with more than one lakh Census officers will participate in the process. Additionally, residents will be able to Self-number this time. Self-numbering will only apply to residents of the country.

Mr. Narayan stated that questions regarding the second phase will be reported in a few months. At this stage, caste will also be counted due to the approval of the Cabinet. However, the caste census methodology has not been finalized yet. In the second stage, religion will also be taken into account.

Giving detailed information about the 2027 Census, Narayan said that enumerators will use personal mobile phones to collect data, the self-count portal will be available in 16 languages ​​and a 16-digit ID will be created. When the enumerator visits the home, this ID will be handed over to them so that the information can be verified. Additionally, Mr. Narayan said that there will be no need to submit any documents or evidence during the census.

Assuring that census data will be kept confidential and not shared with anyone, Mr. Narayan said it is imperative for people to share data accurately. “There is no scope to investigate the data provided during the census,” he added.

This is the first census since 2011, as the exercise planned for 2021 was initially postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.