Census 2027: Houselisting & Housing Census field operations begin

9 August 2026National

Census 2027 — the world''s largest census exercise — formally began its Phase-1 Houselisting and Housing Operation (HLO), with field operations commencing in six States/UTs: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The HLO phase runs nationwide between 1 April and 30 September 2026, with each State/UT conducting a 30-day continuous field operation. This is India''s first-ever digital census, using digital data capture and a Self-Enumeration facility (portal: se.census.gov.in) — about 82 lakh households had already self-enumerated. Reference dates are 1 October 2026 for snow-bound areas and 1 March 2027 for the rest of India (Population Enumeration, Phase-2). It is conducted by the Registrar General & Census Commissioner (RGI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, per the Census Act, 1948.

Static GK

First census in India: 1872 (Lord Mayo); first synchronous: 1881 (Lord Ripon) | Conducted by RGI, MHA | Legal basis: Census Act, 1948 | Census 2027 is the 16th overall, 8th since Independence, and the first digital census

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India launched Census 2027 — its first fully digital census — with Phase-1 Houselisting field operations in six States/UTs and reference dates of 1 Oct 2026 and 1 Mar 2027.

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