Overview
- Houselisting and Housing Census will run from April to September 2026, with Population Enumeration slated for February 2027 and an earlier September 2026 count in Ladakh and specified snow-bound areas.
- March 1, 2027 is the national reference date for enumeration, with October 1, 2026 set for snow-bound regions, followed by short revisional rounds for corrections.
- Enumerators will use Android and iOS apps linked to a Census Management & Monitoring System and an HLB Creator web-mapping tool, and citizens will have the option to self-enumerate.
- About 30 lakh field functionaries and roughly 18,600 technical personnel will be deployed, generating an estimated 1.02 crore man-days of work.
- Officials say the digital design complies with the DPDP Act, protects personal data with confidentiality, and will deliver faster, machine-readable outputs through a Census-as-a-Service model down to village and ward levels.