Rs 4,102 crore released for Census operations as five Northeast states complete first phase: MHA

Several northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, are among the states and Union Territories that have completed the first phase of Census 2027, the Centre has informed Parliament.

The first phase, covering houselisting and the housing census, has been completed in 31 states and Union Territories, while the remaining areas are scheduled to finish the exercise by September 2026.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Rs 4,102 crore has so far been released to states and Union Territories for training census personnel, manpower support, technical infrastructure and payment of honorarium to census functionaries.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai provided the details in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

According to the ministry, the first phase has been completed in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, along with Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kerala.

Training of master trainers, field trainers, enumerators and supervisors for the exercise has also been completed or is underway according to the notified schedule, in coordination with state and Union Territory governments.

The second phase, involving population enumeration, will be conducted between September 1 and 30, 2026 in Ladakh, as well as snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. A revisional round will follow from October 1 to 5.

The Centre has also introduced self-enumeration for the census for the first time. The online facility will be available from August 17 to 31, allowing respondents to submit their details digitally before the field enumeration process.

Census 2027 is being conducted using digital tools, with enumerators collecting information through a dedicated mobile application while retaining the traditional door-to-door process. The Census Management and Monitoring System portal and other digital platforms have also been deployed.

During the houselisting and housing census, officials are collecting information on housing conditions, household characteristics, amenities and assets through a questionnaire containing 33 notified questions.

The ministry said digital tools for the second phase have also been developed.

The government has reiterated that information collected under the Census Act, 1948, will remain confidential and be used only for statistical purposes and development planning.