India's 1st digital census in 2027: Budget, phases, tech upgrades
India is finally rolling out its first all-digital Census in 2027, after COVID-19 pushed back the original 2021 plan.
With a massive ₹11,718 crore budget, the government is swapping paper for smartphones and apps—making data collection way faster and smarter.
How will data be collected?
About 3.2 million census workers will use mobile apps to collect info on the ground.
They'll geotag residential and non-residential buildings using digital mapping, GIS and DLM tools, with data uploaded to cloud servers and monitored in near real time where connectivity allows.
The new CMMS portal helps track progress live and keeps things organized.
Major changes in the census
The Census will run in two phases: house-listing from April to September 2026, then population counting in February 2027.
Provisional results should drop within just 10 days—a huge upgrade from waiting years before!
Plus, there's a focus on inclusivity this time: you can self-enumerate online (in multiple languages), and caste data will be included for better representation.