# Census 2027: house-to-house count in most of India to run from 25 January to 28 February

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-31/census-2027-national-enumeration-dates/
Date: 31 October 2026 (2026-10-31)
Source: The Hindu, Page 1
UPSC papers: GS1, GS2
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** The Registrar General notified on 30 October 2026 that population enumeration for Census 2027 will run from 25 January to 28 February 2027 in most of India, with a reference date of 1 March 2027.

The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, under the Union Home Ministry, notified on 30 October 2026 the schedule for population enumeration, the second phase of Census 2027, in most States and Union Territories. Enumerators will go house to house from 25 January to 28 February 2027. Before that, people can count themselves online in a self-enumeration window from 10 to 24 January 2027. A revisional round to check and correct records will run from 1 to 5 March 2027. The reference date, the moment to which every count relates, is 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027. The notification is issued under section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, read with rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990.

Some areas are left out of this window. Manipur is excluded "till further declaration". Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, where Assembly elections are due early in 2027, follow an earlier schedule notified on 5 September 2026, with enumeration from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027. Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand were counted in September 2026 against a reference date of 1 October 2026, because winter snow makes them hard to reach later. This is the main new development since the poll-bound States' schedule was set in September: the date for the bulk of the country is now fixed.

Census 2027 is India's first digital census: enumerators use a mobile application instead of paper schedules, and a web portal allows self-enumeration. The population schedule has 40 questions, up from 29 in 2011, and includes caste, the first caste enumeration since the 1931 Census. New items include digital literacy, the number of bank accounts and identity numbers such as Aadhaar, if available. The first phase, house-listing and housing census, began in April 2026. The Union Cabinet approved ₹11,718 crore for the exercise, which was due in 2021 but was postponed because of COVID-19. On 16 October the Centre amended the Census Rules to let a State appoint "any person" it finds suitable as an enumerator, a change Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised. The 2011 Census counted about 121 crore people.

## Prelims facts

- Population enumeration for Census 2027 will run from 25 January to 28 February 2027 in most of India, with self-enumeration from 10 to 24 January and a revisional round from 1 to 5 March.
- The reference date is 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027; the notification is under section 3 of the Census Act, 1948.
- Manipur is excluded till further declaration; Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand are counted from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027; Ladakh and snow-bound areas were counted in September 2026 (reference date 1 October 2026).
- The schedule has 40 questions, including caste, the first caste count since 1931, and Census 2027 is India's first digital census.
- The Cabinet approved ₹11,718 crore for Census 2027, which was postponed from 2021 because of COVID-19.

## Quick recall

- **House-to-house population count for most of India under Census 2027?** 25 January to 28 February 2027.
- **Self-enumeration window for most of India?** 10 to 24 January 2027.
- **Reference date for Census 2027 in most States?** 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027.
- **Under which provision was the 30 October 2026 schedule notified?** Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, read with rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990.
- **Which State is excluded 'till further declaration'?** Manipur.
- **Enumeration dates for Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand?** 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027.
- **How many questions in the Census 2027 population schedule, and in 2011?** 40 in 2027; 29 in 2011.
- **Which section of the Census Act keeps individual records confidential?** Section 15.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to Census 2027, consider the following statements:
1. The reference date for population enumeration in most States is 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027.
2. Census 2027 will enumerate caste for the first time since the 1931 Census.
3. The census is conducted under the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong: the census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948; the October 2026 schedule was notified under section 3 of that Act read with the Census Rules, 1990.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2020, GS1: Has caste lost its relevance in understanding the multi-cultural Indian Society? Elaborate your answer with illustrations. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q284-has-caste-lost-relevance-understanding-multi-cultural-indian/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Show that the state itself treats caste as relevant enough to count, through the first all-community caste enumeration since 1931.
- UPSC Mains 2026, GS1: Critically examine the challenges of demographic transition in contemporary India. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q270-challenges-demographic-transition-contemporary-india/)

## Mains practice question

Census 2027 will be India's first digital census and its first caste enumeration since 1931. Discuss its significance for governance and the challenges in conducting it. (150 words)

### Model answer

Census 2027, delayed from 2021 by COVID-19, will count most of India from 25 January to 28 February 2027 with a reference date of 1 March 2027.

## Significance
- First data on caste for all communities since 1931, useful for targeting welfare and reservation policy.
- 40 questions, including digital literacy and bank accounts, give a new base for inclusion policy.
- Digital collection through a mobile app and self-enumeration portal can speed up results.
- The first census after 2026 matters for delimitation, frozen until then.

## Challenges
- Staggered schedules: four poll-bound States, snow-bound areas and Manipur are counted separately.
- Classifying open caste entries consistently across States.
- Confidentiality of identity data, though section 15 of the Census Act protects records.
- Concerns over the 16 October rule change allowing States to appoint "any person" as enumerator.

A credible, timely census is the foundation for evidence-based policy over the next decade.

## The basics

## Why this matters
The census is the single largest source of data on who Indians are, where they live and how they live. Seats in legislatures, welfare budgets and planning all lean on it. Census 2027 is also the first to count caste since 1931 and the first to go digital, so its dates and design are examinable.

## The legal frame
The census is a Union subject (Entry 69 of the Union List) and is run under the Census Act, 1948. The Act is permanent, so the government only has to notify each census. Section 8 requires people to answer truthfully, and section 15 keeps individual records confidential: they cannot be used as evidence in court. The Office of the Registrar General of India in the Home Ministry runs the operation.

## Two phases
A census has two phases. First comes house-listing and housing census, which maps every building and household. Then comes population enumeration, which records each person.

## What is new in 2027
The questionnaire has 40 questions against 29 in 2011. It adds caste, digital literacy, the number of bank accounts and identity numbers such as Aadhaar if available. Data are collected on a mobile app rather than paper, and people can fill in their own details on a portal.

## Why the timing matters
Under the 84th and 87th Constitutional Amendments, the readjustment of seats is frozen until the first census taken after 2026. That makes Census 2027 the likely base for Delimitation, which explains the political attention it draws.

## Sources

- https://morungexpress.com/centre-notifies-census-2027-schedule-enumeration-from-jan-25-to-feb-28-excludes-poll-bound-snow-hit-states
- https://dailypioneer.com/india/population-census-from-jan-25-to-feb-28-2027-reference-date-march-1
- https://www.oneindia.com/india/population-census-2027-up-punjab-goa-among-5-poll-bound-states-excluded-from-schedule-check-key-8246309.html
- https://thefederal.com/category/news/census-2027-population-enumeration-self-261333
- https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/registrar-general-notifies-40-questions-for-phase-2-population-enumeration-of-census-2027-with-13-new-questions-and-web-based-self-enumeration/
- https://superkalam.com/current-affairs/31-10-2026/census-door-to-door-enumeration-from-jan-25-to-feb-28-pg1-ff92a083-3468-4b26-b556-300e605dd29e