Overview
- Phase I opens Wednesday with a 15-day self-enumeration window in select regions such as Goa, Karnataka and Delhi’s NDMC, followed by house visits from April 16 where residents share a unique code for verification.
- The opening leg asks 33 questions on housing, basic services and household assets, and it does not collect personal details about individuals.
- Population counting is scheduled for February 2027, with an earlier September 2026 window in some snow-bound areas, and it will include caste after the questionnaire is finalized.
- Officials say individual records are protected under Section 15 of the Census Act, cannot be accessed under RTI and are not admissible in court, with only aggregated statistics released.
- Over 3 million field staff will use a smartphone app and a portal available in 16 languages under an ₹11,718.24 crore plan, which the census chief says should speed the release of datasets.