Govt finally announces long-postponed census

Census process gets underway

- Neeraj Chauhan and Smriti Kak Ramachandran

NEW DELHI: The Union government said on Wednesday that the long-delayed census will be carried out in two phases before March 1, 2027, announcing a crucial exercise that will enumerate caste for the first time since independence and likely become the base for landmark processes such as delimitation and women's reservation.

A statement from the Union home ministry said the reference date—a cut-off date when population of a country is usually declared as of a specific day or date—for the 2027 census will be March 1. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be October 1, 2026.