♦ The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases, with the inclusion of caste enumeration, marking a significant step in India’s decennial census process.

♦ The reference date for the census is set for 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, except for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, where it will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.

♦ According to the ministry, a notification outlining the intent to conduct the census with these reference dates will be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025, as per Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948.

♦ The census will be carried out under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990.

♦ The last census, conducted in 2011, was also held in two phases: Phase I (House Listing) from April 1 to September 30, 2010, and Phase II (Population Enumeration) from February 9 to February 28, 2011, with a reference date of March 1, 2011.

♦ For snow-bound areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, the census was conducted from September 11 to September 30, 2010, with a reference date of October 1, 2010.

♦ The Census of India 2021 was initially planned in a similar two-phase format, with Phase I scheduled for April to September 2020 and Phase II in February 2021.

♦ However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted preparations, leading to the postponement of the census despite completed groundwork in some states and Union Territories.