Population Census 2027 to be conducted in two phases
The government said the Census will take place in two phases. It also shared the reference date for Population Census - 2027 in his notification.
THE Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on Monday, June 16, to conduct the Population Census in 2027. The government said the census will take place in two phases. It also shared the reference date for the 2027 Population Census in its notification.
The government informed that March 1, 2027, is the reference date for all states and Union territories (except Ladakh and snowbound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand). October 1, 2026, is the reference date for the remaining states and UTs.
The home ministry's notification read, “The reference date for the said census shall be 00.00 hours [midnight] of the 1st day of March, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.”
It added, “In respect of the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of the 1st day of October, 2026.”
The Census of India is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990.
The official gazette read, “In the exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948), and in supersession of the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs (Office of the Registrar General, India) number S.O. 1455(E), dated the 26th March, 2019 published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, section 3, sub-section (ii), dated the 28th March, 2019, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government hereby declares that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027.”
When was the last census conducted?
The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases, namely i) Phase I – House Listing (HLO) (1 April to 30 September 2010) and (ii) Phase II – Population Enumeration (PE) (09 February to 28 February 2011).
The government said in a press release that Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases in a similar manner, with phase I during April-September 2020 and the second phase in February 2021.
“All the preparations for the first phase of the census to be conducted in 2021 were completed and field was scheduled to begin in some states/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed,” the government said.
