PM calls on citizens to participate in Census 2027

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to participate in the ongoing Census 2027 exercise and register their household details online during the 138th episode of his monthly radio programme, Mann ki Baat, on Sunday.

Modi said the first phase of the census was nearing completion, with data from more than 320 million families already recorded.

Census 2027, India’s first fully digital census, is being conducted in two phases: house-listing and housing census work is scheduled across April-September 2026, followed by population enumeration in February 2027.

India’s decennial Census, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The exercise was eventually rescheduled as Census 2027, making it the first Census since 2011.

The delay has also been accompanied by a significant redesign of the exercise. The government has introduced self-enumeration, allowing citizens to submit household details online in 16 languages. The government has also developed a central monitoring system and web-based mapping for enumeration blocks.

The prime minister said the first phase was nearly complete in 31 states and Union territories. Population enumeration in snow-bound areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is currently underway.

He highlighted the self-enumeration facility, which allows citizens to submit household information through the census portal using their mobile phones.

On youngsters

Modi also highlighted the government’s campaign against drug abuse, efforts to promote sporting talent and the role of local products in boosting rural incomes.

Modi said millions of young people have taken a pledge to stay away from drugs under the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan, a 100-week campaign involving MY Bharat volunteers, the National Service Scheme (NSS), schools, colleges, universities and social and spiritual organisations.

He said thousands of pledge ceremonies and awareness programmes have been organised in recent days.

He also highlighted initiatives to identify sporting talent in rural areas, citing former hockey player and coach Rajinder Singh, who is working through the Round Glass Hockey Academy to identify young players in villages and provide them access to better training facilities.

The address also focused on amla (Indian gooseberries) processing in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, where he said around 100 processing units are operational under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.

He highlighted women-led self-help groups producing amla candy, juice, pickles and other products, saying improved market access and processing facilities have helped raise incomes.

On nutrition, Modi highlighted initiatives across states, including Chhattisgarh’s campaign to promote moringa, Gujarat’s millet-based food competition and efforts in Maharashtra and Mizoram to improve nutrition awareness.

He also cited the Poshan Tracker, saying around 90 million beneficiaries are registered on the digital platform.

Modi also spoke about the growing international interest in Indian cultural traditions, citing Thailand-based Ganesha devotee Panthoun Thirkhanon and the Ganesha Himal Museum in Chiang Mai, which houses more than 10,000 Ganesha idols.

On terror attacks

Modi said the 2016 surgical strike demonstrated a “new example” of India’s counter-terrorism policy, as the country prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the operation on 28 September. He said the Indian Army's crossing of the Line of Control (LoC) to target terrorist hideouts in Pakistan had demonstrated India’s response to terrorism.

He described the surgical strike as a decisive response to the terrorist attacks India had faced over the years. Modi said that from the Balakot airstrike to Operation Sindoor, India had repeatedly conveyed that terrorist attacks would draw a response.

Recalling earlier attacks, he referred to the September 2008 serial blasts in Delhi and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks later that year. He said India now follows a “zero-tolerance” policy towards terrorism.

Modi also noted that 2026 marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks in the US and recalled paying tribute to the victims during his visit to the US after becoming prime minister in 2014.