PM Modi completes self-enumeration as Census 2027 begins with digital rollout

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 1 completed his self-enumeration, marking the launch of the first phase of Census 2027, focused on house listing and housing operations.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the exercise introduces a fully digital data collection system for the first time, alongside an option allowing citizens to submit their own household details.

In a post on X, Modi said, “Completed my self-enumeration… today marks the beginning of the first phase of Census 2027, relating to house listing and housing operations.” He added that the process “is the first time data collection is being done through digital means” and “empowers the people of India to self-enumerate their household details.”

Calling it a participatory effort, the Prime Minister urged citizens to take part directly. “I appeal to the people of India to self-enumerate their household details themselves and participate in the Census process,” he wrote.

The census, considered the largest such exercise globally, will be conducted in two phases. The ongoing first phase — House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) — will run from April to September 2026. Each state and Union Territory will carry out enumeration over a 30-day period, with a 15-day window for voluntary self-enumeration preceding the fieldwork.

Officials said this will be India’s 16th Census and the eighth since Independence. The reference date has been fixed at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, while snow-bound and non-synchronous regions, including Ladakh and parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, will follow an earlier reference date of October 1, 2026.

The digital-first approach is expected to streamline data collection and improve accuracy, while the self-enumeration option marks a shift towards greater public involvement in the national exercise.