The Government of India on Wednesday commenced the first phase of Census 2027, marking the beginning of the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercise with a first-of-its-kind digital approach.
The exercise began with the Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) phase, which includes the introduction of digital data capture and a self-enumeration facility for citizens.
President Droupadi Murmu led the national exercise by becoming the first citizen to complete the self-enumeration process, continuing the long-standing tradition of initiating the Census with the Head of State.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also completed their enumeration through the online portal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to actively participate in the Census by self-enumerating their household details, describing it as a key national exercise.
The self-enumeration facility has been rolled out in select States and Union Territories, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, as well as areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Cantonment Board.
According to official data, around 55,000 households availed the self-enumeration facility on the very first day of its rollout.
The self-enumeration process is a secure, web-based system available in 16 regional languages. Citizens can submit their household details online before the visit of enumerators. After submission, a unique Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID) is generated, which is to be shared with officials during field verification.
The Houselisting and Housing Census phase will collect detailed information on housing conditions, amenities, and household assets through a structured questionnaire of 33 questions, notified earlier this year.
The nationwide HLO phase will be conducted between April 1 and September 30, 2026. Each State and Union Territory will carry out a 30-day enumeration exercise within this period, preceded by a 15-day self-enumeration window.
The government has reiterated that all data collected under the Census Act, 1948 will remain strictly confidential. Officials stated that advanced digital systems with encryption and multi-factor authentication have been deployed to ensure data security.
Census 2027 is expected to serve as a key tool for governance, forming the basis for policy planning and development initiatives over the next decade.
