Census 2027: Finalising the Questionnaire, Two-Phase Plan Unveiled
Census 2027: Finalising the Questionnaire, Two-Phase Plan Unveiled
Finalising the Census 2027 questionnaire, with a two-phase plan spanning 2026-27 and inclusion of caste data, outlines the road ahead.
The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner is finalising the questionnaire for Census 2027, with the timeline kept the same as in past censuses. Parliament was informed that the central government will notify the questionnaires through the official gazette, as per Census Rules 1990. Caste enumeration will be part of Census 2027, and respondents are expected to answer the questions to the best of their knowledge or belief.
The census will be conducted in two phases: Phase I—House Listing and Housing Census from April to September 2026; Phase II—Population Enumeration in February 2027, with a reference date of 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027. Exceptions include Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where Phase II will take place in September 2026.
All questionnaires will be notified through the official gazette under Census Rules 1990. The government emphasizes coordination with state and UT administrations to ensure smooth data collection and a timely, comprehensive census.
Cover image source: Census to be done in two phases between April 2026 and February 2027, says government 🔗
