Overview
- The Registrar General of India has circulated a Rs 14,618.95-crore proposal to the Expenditure Finance Committee, the final step before the Home Ministry submits a Cabinet note.
- Fieldwork is planned in two phases, with houselisting from April to September 2026 and population enumeration starting February 2027 nationwide, while Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are slated for September 2026.
- The count will be fully digital using dedicated mobile applications and a public self-enumeration option.
- Caste will be recorded following the April 30 decision by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, marking its first inclusion since 1931.
- More than 35 lakh enumerators and supervisors are planned, with real-time oversight through a new Census Monitoring & Management System.