Census 2027 to go fully digital with mobile apps and web portal: Centre

The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that Census 2027 will be conducted entirely through digital means, marking a significant technological shift in India's decennial population enumeration exercise.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha on December 9 that data collection will be carried out through mobile applications, whilst respondents will also have the option to self-enumerate via a web portal. The entire census process will be managed and monitored through a dedicated portal, he stated.

Responding to an unstarred question from MP Sanatan Pandey, Rai clarified that the census will maintain its comprehensive approach to data collection. In Census, information of every individual is collected at the place where they are found during the entire period of enumeration, he explained.

Migration patterns will receive particular attention, with data being collected for each individual based on their place of birth and place of last residence. The census will also gather information on the duration of stay at current residences and reasons for migration, providing crucial insights into population movement across the country.

The minister noted that the questionnaire for the census will be notified through the Official Gazette by the central government before field work commences. This follows standard procedure for census operations in India.

The move towards digitalisation represents a major departure from traditional paper-based enumeration methods used in previous census exercises, potentially improving accuracy and reducing the time required for data compilation and analysis.