Overview
- The self-enumeration window opened Sunday in Telangana, where residents can submit household details online through May 10 before house visits start May 11.
- In his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged full participation, assured confidentiality, and said officials have already house-listed about 1.2 crore families where work has begun.
- Punjab will open self-enumeration on April 30, with door-to-door verification from May 15 to June 13, and workers will carry QR-coded ID cards and never ask for documents or OTPs.
- The census runs in two phases, with house-listing now and population enumeration planned for February 2027, and snow-bound areas scheduled to complete fieldwork in September 2026.
- For the first time since 1931, the count will record caste data nationwide, feeding decisions on welfare programs and future representation.