Cabinet Approves ₹11,718 Cr for Digital Census

India's Union Cabinet approved a substantial budget of ₹11,718 crore for the upcoming Census 2027 on Friday, December 12, 2025, according to DD News. This significant financial commitment paves the way for the nation's 16th census, and the eighth since India gained independence, as reported by India Today.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that this monumental data collection exercise will unfold in two distinct phases. The House Listing and Housing Census is scheduled from April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027, DD News confirmed.

Marking a historic shift, Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital census, Vaishnaw stated. Data collection will utilize mobile applications for both Android and iOS, alongside a central Census Management and Monitoring System portal for real-time monitoring, as reported by pragativadi.

A significant policy decision confirms the inclusion of caste enumeration in Census 2027, captured electronically during the Population Enumeration phase. This move, decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on April 30, 2025, marks the first such comprehensive enumeration since 1931, according to The Hindu.

This colossal undertaking will deploy approximately 30 lakh (3 million) field functionaries across the country, primarily government school teachers, DD News reported. This initiative is expected to generate over 1.5 crore human-days of employment, according to India Today.

The upcoming census follows significant delays from its original 2021 schedule, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as noted by the NUS Institute of South Asian Studies. This long-awaited exercise is crucial for updating critical demographic data essential for national planning.

• The Indian census has a rich tradition dating back to 1872, with the first synchronous census conducted in 1881. This decennial exercise is vital for a welfare state like India, providing a "treasure house of information" on demography, economic activity, literacy, and housing, as highlighted by Drishti IAS. It forms the bedrock for planning and policy formulation across various sectors.

• The two-phase approach ensures thorough data collection across the diverse nation. The initial House Listing and Housing Census, from April to September 2026, will gather comprehensive details on living conditions and household amenities. This will be followed by the Population Enumeration in February 2027, focusing on individual demographic data. Special provisions for snow-bound regions like Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh will see their enumeration completed earlier, in September 2026, according to The Wire.

• The 2027 census represents a major technological leap, being the first fully digital census in India's history. The use of mobile applications for data collection, a central monitoring portal, and self-enumeration options are designed to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and speed of data dissemination, as detailed by Gulte. This digital transformation aims to provide cleaner, machine-readable datasets, improving the overall quality and accessibility of census information.

• The inclusion of caste enumeration, for the first time since 1931, carries significant political and social implications. This detailed data is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of existing reservation policies and potentially influencing the design of more targeted welfare schemes. The NUS Institute of South Asian Studies suggests this could even lead to discussions about breaching the 50% reservation ceiling, given the likely demographic realities.

• Census data is fundamental for the delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies, ensuring fair representation based on population distribution. The 2027 census is expected to be the basis for redistributing Lok Sabha seats for the 2029 general election, a process that has been frozen since 1976, according to wikipedia. Accurate and updated demographic information is essential for maintaining democratic equity and effective governance.

• Conducting a census in a country as vast and diverse as India presents immense challenges. These include navigating its large population, varied geographical terrain, and significant cultural and linguistic diversity. Issues such as reaching remote and inaccessible areas, ensuring cooperation from all communities, and managing potential illiteracy or lack of awareness among some populations require meticulous planning and extensive logistical support, as highlighted by ForumIAS Blog.

• The introduction of "Census-as-a-Service" (CaaS) is an innovative approach aimed at streamlining data utilization. CaaS will deliver demand-based, clean, machine-readable, and actionable data directly to various ministries and other government stakeholders, as reported by DD News. This initiative promises to significantly improve evidence-based policymaking, program evaluation, and efficient resource allocation by making data readily available and usable.

• The census provides critical insights into socio-economic indicators, migration patterns, and urbanization trends, which are vital for national development. Relying on outdated 2011 data has hampered effective policy formulation and equitable resource distribution, potentially excluding millions from essential welfare benefits, according to NEXT IAS. The 2027 census will fill this crucial data void, enabling more targeted and impactful interventions.