Manipur census 2027 house-listing operations scheduled despite public demands for deferment

The Census of India 2027 house-listing operations in Manipur are officially scheduled to take place between September 1 and September 30, 2026, according to a notification republished by the state government.

This comes amid growing public demands in Manipur to defer the census exercise due to concerns over the identification of illegal immigrants and the potential implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.

The Manipur government’s order reiterates the timeline initially set by the Ministry of Home Affairs, confirming that enumeration-related activities will begin in the state between August 17 and August 31, 2026, ahead of the full-scale census operations. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs (Office of the Registrar General, India) has officially notified the timeline for the Census of India 2027. According to S.O. 99(E) issued on January 7, 2026, the houselisting operations will be conducted between April 1, 2026, and September 30, 2026, across all States and Union Territories.

The notification, issued by Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, cites powers under Section 3 and Section 17A of the Census Act, 1948, along with Rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990. It supersedes the previous notification S.O. 119(E) dated January 7, 2020, except for actions already undertaken under the earlier order.

In a new feature, the Census 2027 will also allow an option for self-enumeration, which can be carried out over a 15-day period immediately preceding the 30-day house-to-house houselisting operations. This move aims to streamline the enumeration process and provide flexibility for residents to participate in the census digitally or offline before the official field operations commence.

The notification emphasizes that each State and Union Territory will determine the specific 30-day period within the overall April–September timeframe for conducting the houselisting exercise.