Cabinet clears Census 2027 at Rs 11,718 crore; India's first fully digital headcount

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a series of key policy decisions, including the conduct of Census of India 2027 at a cost of Rs.11,718.24 crore, a new coal linkage auction framework aimed at cutting imports, and higher minimum support prices (MSP) for copra for the 2026 season.

- TDG NETWORK

Briefing the media, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Census 2027 will be the 16th census in the series and the eighth since Independence, and will be conducted entirely through digital means for the first time. Designed with data protection safeguards, the exercise is the world’s largest administrative and statistical operation and will cover the entire population of the country.

The census will be conducted in two phases - the Houselisting and Housing Census from April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027. In Ladakh and snowbound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, population enumeration will be carried out in September 2026. Around 30 lakh field functionaries, largely government teachers appointed by state governments, will be deployed for the exercise in addition to their regular duties.