New DelhiUnion Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft launched four digital tools and formally unveiled the mascots – ‘Pragati’ (female) and ‘Vikas’ (male) for Census-2027 in New Delhi. Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has developed advanced digital platforms to facilitate computing operations across the country. In these tools, during digital census, house listing blocks will be created with the help of satellite images. More than 30 lakh enumerators, observers and other officials across the country will participate in Census-2027. Census-2027, to be conducted in two phases, is the world’s largest census exercise. For the first time the census will be conducted through digital medium. For the first time, the option of self-calculation is also being given. The mascots of Census-2027 ‘Pragati’ (female enumerator) and ‘Vikas’ (male enumerator) have been presented as friendly and comfortable symbols. Besides, ‘Progress’ and ‘Development’ are also symbols of equal participation of women and men in fulfilling the resolve of making India a developed nation in 2047. Through these mascots, information, objectives and key messages related to Census 2027 will be conveyed to different sections of the society in an effective and accessible form.
Digital tools of Census-2027…
Census-2027 will be India’s first census conducted by technical devices. Four platforms have been soft launched by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. House Listing Block Creator Web Application: This web-map application enables charge officers to create House Listing Blocks technically with the help of satellite images, thereby ensuring standardization of geographical coverage across the country. HLO Mobile Application: It is a secure offline mobile application through which enumerators can collect and upload houselisting data. Only enumerators registered on the CMMS portal can use it. This application facilitates data transmission directly from the field to the server, eliminating traditional paperwork. It is available on Android and iOS platforms. It can be operated in 16 languages. Self-Enumeration Portal: The option of self-enumeration is being provided for the first time. It is a secure web-based facility through which eligible respondents can enter their information online prior to the door-to-door survey. After successful registration a unique self-enumeration ID will be issued. This self-enumeration ID will be shared with the enumerator. Based on this, the information recorded can be confirmed by the enumerator. Census Management and Monitoring System Portal: It is a centralized web-based digital platform, through which census related activities will be planned, managed, implemented and monitored. State, district and tehsil level officials will be able to view the progress and work status in real time through an integrated dashboard.
Use of secure mobile applications…
In Census-2027, data will be collected from door to door using a secure mobile application. Through this, complete coverage will be ensured. Keeping technology in mind, innovation and taking everyone along will ensure that Census-2027 is accurate, safe and comprehensive. Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, house-listing and housing census will be done. During this period, information related to housing condition and household facilities will be collected. In the second phase, demographic, social and economic details related to every person of the country will be recorded. Notification for the first phase has been issued on January 7, 2026. House-listing and House Census will be conducted over a continuous period of 30 days as notified by each State/Union Territory between April 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026. There will also be an optional self-count period of 15 days before the door-to-door survey.
Second phase: Population census…
The population census will be conducted across India in February 2027. The enumeration in the Union Territory of Ladakh and snow covered non-simulated areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be completed in September 2026. Caste related questions will also be included in the second phase of the census. The reference date for Census 2027 will be midnight (00:00 hours) of 1 March 2027 for all states and Union territories. The reference date for Ladakh and snow covered non-synchronous areas (Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) will be midnight (00:00 hours) of 1 October 2026.