India's First Fully Digital Census
The upcoming Census in India, scheduled for 2027, marks a significant transformation as it will be the country's first fully digital Census.
Use of Technology
- Approximately 34 lakh enumerators will use dedicated mobile applications on their personal smartphones for data collection.
- The mobile applications will be available in English and regional languages for both Android and iOS platforms.
- These apps were initially developed for the 2021 Census but are now being updated to meet technological advancements.
Data Collection and Processing
- Enumerators will transfer collected data directly to a central server through the mobile apps.
- If data is collected on paper, it must be entered into a dedicated web portal to avoid any further scanning or data entry steps.
- This process ensures that Census data is digitized at the enumerator level, leading to timely availability of information.
Census Phases and Operations
- The Census will occur in two phases:
- Houselisting operation from April to September 2026.
- Population enumeration starting in February 2027, except in Ladakh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, where it will begin in September 2026.
- During the houselisting phase, details about housing conditions, household amenities, and assets will be gathered.
- Household member castes will also be enumerated, with a self-enumeration option available to the public.
Budget and Development
- The Registrar General of India (RGI) has requested a budget of Rs 14,618.95-crore for the Census.
- A real-time monitoring and management website is being developed for the entire exercise.
Innovative Features
- For the first time, the Census will include geo-tagging of all buildings using Digital Layout Mapping (DLM).
- Geo-tagging involves assigning a unique latitude-longitude coordinate to each building on a Geographical Information System (GIS) map.
