India's 2027 Census to be First Fully Digital, Data for National Planning Only

Madurai: The 2027 Census will be India's first fully digital population enumeration, and data collected during the exercise will be strictly used for national planning rather than determining eligibility for welfare schemes, a top official said on Wednesday.

"This 2027 census is going to be India's first census conducted using complete digital technology," Tamil Nadu Census Director M Sundaresh Babu said.

Addressing a press conference after a consultative meeting, Babu outlined the preparatory work for the decennial exercise, noting that approximately 1.6 lakh personnel will be deployed across the state. Nationwide, around 30 lakh enumerators will be involved in the process.

Babu stated that the census will primarily be conducted in two phases, with the first phase comprising house listing and housing census, and the second phase focusing on population enumeration. In Tamil Nadu, the fieldwork for the first phase will be held over 30 days from August 1 to August 30.

A significant feature of this census is the introduction of a self-enumeration portal, allowing citizens to register their details online themselves, added Babu.

"A 15-day window, concluding on July 31, has been allocated for this self-registration facility. In Madurai district alone, around 9,000 households have already utilised the self-enumeration option," according to him.

During the 30-day field exercise in August, enumerators are tasked with visiting households to record responses to a standardised set of 33 questions applicable across India. Each enumerator will cover approximately 200 to 250 households, translating to a population of 800 to 900 people.

Allaying public fears regarding the purpose of data collection, Babu clarified that details concerning household amenities -- such as the ownership of air conditioners, televisions, or mobile phones -- will not be used to strip individuals of below poverty line (BPL) status or deny them government benefits.

"The information collected is strictly for planning and acts as a baseline framework," Babu said, adding that individual data is not shared on any platform and will not be used to decide direct benefits, voting rights, or citizenship.

Addressing queries on specific demographics, the official stated that the houseless population will be enumerated during a special drive in the final days of the second phase in February 2027. Individuals who have migrated abroad and are not physically present in India during the census period will not be counted in this exercise.

For households found locked during initial visits, enumerators have been instructed to make two to three attempts to reach the residents, including gathering contact information from neighbours to schedule convenient appointments.

The official also said to ensure the enumeration process does not disrupt regular school functioning, participating teachers have been granted full flexibility to schedule their field visits outside of school hours or on holidays. Local district collectors and charge officers will coordinate with the education department to manage workloads locally.