Census

Population Census to be held from Jan 25 to Feb 28, 2027, with exceptions

The population census will run from January 25 to February 28, 2027, in most parts of India, with self-enumeration from January 10-24 and a revisional round from March 1-5.

Updated On: 30 Oct 2026 | 9:27 PM IST

Do not release provisional census data to press: RGI to states and UTs

The Registrar General of India (RGI) has directed its countrywide units in states and union territories not to use or release to the press any data or population figures collected during the Census 2027. In a communique to chief secretaries of all states and its directorate, RGI and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan also underlined that information collected during Census operations is confidential and protected under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948. Section 15 of the Census Act states that census records are not open to inspection nor admissible in evidence. "It needs to be mentioned here that the provisional population figures and/or any census figures, based on the enumeration or any other data contained in the household schedules/abstract should not be released to the press or used by any authority, official non-official until further instructions are issued in this regard by the ORGI," he said. Narayan said Census 2027 is being conducted digitally, with ...

Updated On: 26 Oct 2026 | 10:47 PM IST

Delhi to begin Census 2027 phase 2 on Jan 10, with 15-day self-enumeration

The second phase of Census 2027 in Delhi is likely to begin January 10, 2027, with a 15-day window for self-enumeration ahead of the house-to-house exercise starting January 25, officials said on Thursday. According to senior officials, the self-enumeration window will run from January 10 to 24, followed by field operations from January 25 to February 28. A revisional round is scheduled from March 1 to 5. A senior census official said a meeting will be held Thursday -- chaired by the Delhi chief secretary and involving census officials -- on the second phase of the exercise. The first phase of Census 2027 in Delhi, which concluded on June 14, covered nearly 76 lakh houses and around 55 lakh households, with enumerators recording that more than 2.3 crore people were ordinarily residing in the city, officials said. The population enumeration phase will require citizens to answer 40 questions on various parameters, including caste, to be captured for the first time since the 1931 cens

Updated On: 22 Oct 2026 | 3:58 PM IST

Centre amends rules, permits deployment of private teachers for Census duty

The Centre on Friday amended the Census Rules, 1990, allowing states and Union territories to appoint teachers of "aided or unaided private bodies" as enumerators during the Census, in the backdrop of various high courts staying the orders of government officials requisitioning services of such staff. A gazette notification issued by Registrar General of India (RGI) Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said "teachers, clerks, or any official or any person" can be appointed as census officers by state governments and Union territories as enumerators. Friday's notification specifies that "teachers of any educational institution of the government, local authority, aided or unaided private bodies, societies or trusts; (ii) Clerks or any official of the central government, state government, local authority or establishment (including public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, companies, institutions, societies and trusts); (iii) Any person, as the state government or the Union territory ...

Updated On: 16 Oct 2026 | 10:57 PM IST

Centre advances Census exercise in poll-bound UP, Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand

The elections in all four states are due early next year

Updated On: 05 Sep 2026 | 10:11 PM IST

Centre deferred Census exercise as per people's wishes: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Wednesday said the Centre deferred the conduct of the Census in the state as per the wishes of the people. Singh made the remarks on the inaugural day of the eighth session of the current Manipur Assembly. The CM, addressing the House, said, "In August 2022, the then chief minister N Biren Singh moved a resolution that NRC (National Register of Citizens) should be carried out in Manipur and a letter was subsequently sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding this in 2023." "The same was reaffirmed in the 2024 session of the assembly, and the resolution was sent to the MHA. Following the President's Rule and installation of the new government, a two-day seminar was conducted by the state Home Department this August in which it was resolved that NRC would be conducted before the Census," he said. Following these developments and after learning about the grievances of the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Am

Updated On: 02 Sep 2026 | 1:00 PM IST

Census 2027 makes first shift in how India records beggars, vagrants

The move means Census 2027 will not provide a separate count of beggars and vagrants, unlike previous exercises that recorded the group under non-economic activity

Updated On: 25 Aug 2026 | 12:47 PM IST

Census duty piles on the workload for government school teachers

Government school teachers across India are facing longer hours, safety concerns and mounting pressure as Census 2027 enumeration duties begin

Updated On: 21 Aug 2026 | 6:49 PM IST

NRC before Census: Manipur defers census training as protests intensify

Census preparations have been disrupted as protests intensify over demands for an NRC before the population count

Updated On: 20 Aug 2026 | 1:20 PM IST

Census 2027 population count begins in J&K, Ladakh: Here's what we know

Self-enumeration to run till August 31, followed by door-to-door population count in September; exercise brought forward to cover remote areas before winter

Updated On: 17 Aug 2026 | 10:33 AM IST

Caste count returns to Census after 1931 as Centre notifies 40 questions

Census 2027 will seek caste details across all groups for the first time since 1931, alongside information on Aadhaar, voter ID, bank accounts and digital literacy

Updated On: 14 Aug 2026 | 11:31 PM IST

Centre notifies 40 questions for Census 2027; caste, SC, ST status included

The Centre on Friday notified 40 questions - caste, place of Covid vaccination being two of them - to be asked of respondents during the population enumeration phase of the Census, set to begin from September 1 in snow-bound areas, a government order said. The order from Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan notifies questions such as whether the person belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe and their caste. The population enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, will take place from September 1 to 30, according to a gazette notification issued earlier this month. "For the conduct of the above Census, there shall be an option for self-enumeration from August 17 to 31 just before the start of house-to-house population enumeration," it said. In the rest of the country, the population enumeration (PE) will begin next year.

Updated On: 14 Aug 2026 | 12:32 PM IST

Census 2027 pre-test: What India is testing before counting its citizens

As a population-enumeration pre-test begins, India is testing digital data collection, self-enumeration and field systems ahead of its first Census since 2011

Updated On: 07 Jul 2026 | 9:07 AM IST

Why Chandrababu Naidu thinks Delimitation Bill can get Parliament nod now

Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu says changed political circumstances in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal could help the NDA bring back the Delimitation Bill

Updated On: 16 Jun 2026 | 3:43 PM IST

Delhi Census Phase 1: Which districts have most people and houses?

Delhi Census Phase 1: North East emerged as the most populous district, while New Delhi recorded the lowest population

Updated On: 16 Jun 2026 | 12:34 PM IST

Field hours for Census staff in Delhi rescheduled due to intense heat

The intense summer heat in Delhi has prompted the authorities to revise the field timings for the Census staff engaged in the ongoing house listing exercise across the national capital, officials said on Friday. The office of the divisional commissioner (revenue) has directed the enumerators and supervisors to undertake field visits only during morning and evening hours and avoid working during peak afternoon heat in view of the sharp rise in temperatures. The advisory aims to safeguard the health and well-being of field staff involved in door-to-door enumeration for the house listing and housing Census exercise, with the mercury reaching the 44-degree Celsius mark in Delhi in recent days. "In view of the rise in temperatures, the advisory emphasises undertaking field activities during morning and evening hours and avoiding peak midday heat to safeguard the health and well-being of the enumerators and supervisors," the order said. The direction followed an advisory issued by the ..

Updated On: 22 May 2026 | 10:53 PM IST

Adhikari-led Bengal Cabinet okays BSF fencing land transfer, Census rollout

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari chaired the first cabinet meeting on Monday and said his government has granted transfer of land to the BSF for erecting a fence along the Bangladesh border and approved immediate implementation of the Census exercise in the state. The meeting, attended by the five ministers sworn in so far, also decided to induct Bengal into multiple central government schemes, including the Ayushman Bharat health coverage programme. The Ayushman Bharat aims to provide cashless hospitalisation coverage of Rs 5,00,000 per family per year to poor and vulnerable families for secondary and tertiary healthcare services. "In the backdrop of steadily changing demography in Bengal's bordering districts, our cabinet has approved the beginning of the process of handing over necessary land to the BSF for setting up border fences. The Chief Secretary and the secretary of the state's land and land revenue department have been asked to complete the process of land ...

Updated On: 11 May 2026 | 6:01 PM IST

Census 2027: Self-enumeration begins in Delhi; LG urges participation

Self-enumeration under Census 2027 began in the national capital on Friday, with many residents, including Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, completing the exercise on day one. Sandhu, in a post on X, said that the exercise officially began across all Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wards and urged the residents to take part in the self-enumeration process and support the census. "Your participation plays an important role in shaping the future of our city and nation," he said in the post. This digital-first initiative gives citizens the power to directly submit their household details, helping ensure every resident is accurately counted. Reliable data is key to inclusive governance and a stronger, developed nation, the LG added. Self-enumeration exercise has already been completed in New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantt areas, where houselisting and housing operations through door-to-door visits by enumerators are underway. All residents of MCD wards, irrespec

Updated On: 01 May 2026 | 2:14 PM IST

The delimitation dilemma: Democratic status may see further slide in India

There are no easy solutions to the conundrum. The US system favours small Alaska over Texas. The former has a fraction of Texas's population, but both have the same number of Senators

Updated On: 17 Apr 2026 | 11:23 PM IST

Delimitation in India: How it was done before and why it was paused

India once redrew constituencies regularly, but political concerns over population and regional balance led to a freeze that still shapes representation today

Updated On: 16 Apr 2026 | 8:56 AM IST