Union Home Minister Amit Shah finished his self-enumeration for the initial phase of Census 2027, launching India’s inaugural fully digital census. Shah, in a social media post, highlighted the significance of the “House-listing” phase, where he completed the self-enumeration form at his residence in Delhi. This phase aims to expedite India’s progress and ensure equitable distribution of government benefits.
Census teams will soon visit households nationwide, and Shah urged citizens to cooperate by providing necessary information. He also encouraged people to utilize the official portal for self-enumeration. The House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) of Census 2027, starting from April to September 2026 in phases across states, has commenced.
The process includes a 15-day self-enumeration period before physical visits, allowing citizens to submit household details online. A dedicated portal, available in 16 languages, facilitates the completion of a 33-question schedule covering housing conditions, amenities, assets, and basic household data. Subsequently, citizens receive a reference ID for verification by enumerators.
The upcoming Census 2027, the country’s 16th national census, will be entirely digital, replacing traditional paper-based methods. Mobile applications with offline capabilities and enhanced data security will be utilized by enumerators. Phase II, focusing on population enumeration and caste data, is slated for early 2027, with March 1 as the reference date.
The House Listing phase is crucial for gathering data essential for infrastructure planning, welfare schemes, urban development, and resource allocation. Through self-enumeration, the government aims to enhance accuracy, reduce errors, boost participation, and enhance the citizen-friendliness of the process.
