Census 2027 enumeration to run January 25 to February 28

Centre notifies Census 2027 schedule; enumeration from Jan 25 to Feb 28, excludes poll-bound, snow-hit states

New Delhi, Oct 30

According to the official notification issued on October 30, 2026, the house-to-house population enumeration will be conducted from January 25 to 28 February 2027, across most States and Union Territories.

"Census in poll-bound States, Goa, UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur to be conducted later," a government notification said.

The notification, issued by the Office of the Registrar General of India under the Census Act, 1948, excludes certain areas for the time being.

These include the State of Manipur (till further declaration), Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, the Union Territory of Ladakh, the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Citizens will have the option of self-enumeration through an online portal from January 10 to January 24, 2027, just before the start of the house-to-house enumeration.

A revisional round will be held from March 1 to March 5, 2027, to verify and correct the recorded information. The reference date for the census has been fixed as 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.

The last census in India was conducted in 2011.

The subsequent census planned for 2021 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained pending since then.

The upcoming exercise is expected to provide updated demographic data after a gap of 16 years, which will be crucial for policy planning, resource allocation and welfare schemes.

Officials noted that snow-bound regions face accessibility challenges during winter, while states heading for elections require the administrative machinery to focus on the electoral process.

Alternative dates for the exempted areas will be announced separately. The census will cover population enumeration and is expected to form the basis for future administrative and developmental decisions.

The government has emphasised that the process will be conducted with the participation of citizens through both digital self-enumeration and traditional door-to-door surveys by census personnel.

— IANS