The Union Cabinet has approved ₹11,718 crore for India’s 16th Census, which will be the first fully digital exercise. It was deferred from its original 2021 schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Features of the Digital Census
- First Fully Digital Census: Data collection will primarily use a mobile application (for both Android and iOS) by enumerators, replacing traditional paper forms.
- Two-Phase Process: The census will be conducted in two main phases:
- Phase 1: House-listing and Housing Census (April – September 2026).
- Phase 2: Population Enumeration (PE) (February 2027). The reference date for the main enumeration is March 1, 2027.
- Caste Enumeration: For the first time since 1931, the census will electronically collect comprehensive caste data (beyond SC/ST) during the Population Enumeration phase.
- Self-Enumeration: Citizens will have the option to self-enumerate their own details through a dedicated digital platform.
- Technology Integration:
- Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS): A central portal for real-time tracking and oversight of the entire process.
- Census-as-a-Service (CaaS): A system to deliver clean, machine-readable, and actionable data to various government ministries for policy-making.
- HLB Creator Web Map Application: A tool for Charge Officers to map and organise enumeration blocks.
- Scale and Staff: The exercise will involve approximately 30 lakh (3 million) field functionaries.
Significance and Policy Implications
- Faster and Better Data: The digital process is expected to ensure better data quality, real-time monitoring, and significantly reduce the time lag in making census data publicly available.
- Delimitation: The data from the 2027 Census is crucial, as it will be the basis for the next delimitation (redrawing of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies) exercise, which is currently frozen until the first census after 2026.
- Social Policy: Including comprehensive caste data will provide updated, evidence-based statistics to guide policies on reservation, welfare schemes, and resource allocation, especially for Other Backwards Classes (OBCs).