The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases, with the inclusion of caste enumeration, marking a significant step in India’s decennial census process. The reference date for the census is set for 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, except for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, where it will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.
According to the ministry, a notification outlining the intent to conduct the census with these reference dates will be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025, as per Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. The census will be carried out under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990.
The last census, conducted in 2011, was also held in two phases: Phase I (House Listing) from April 1 to September 30, 2010, and Phase II (Population Enumeration) from February 9 to February 28, 2011, with a reference date of March 1, 2011. For snow-bound areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, the census was conducted from September 11 to September 30, 2010, with a reference date of October 1, 2010.
The Census of India 2021 was initially planned in a similar two-phase format, with Phase I scheduled for April to September 2020 and Phase II in February 2021. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted preparations, leading to the postponement of the census despite completed groundwork in some states and Union Territories.