Census 2027: Strict Guidelines Issued for Data Confidentiality and Collection Process

Census Data Collection Under Strict Confidentiality

New Delhi: The Registrar General of India (RGI) has issued a directive to its regional units across states and union territories, prohibiting the release or use of any data or population statistics gathered during the upcoming Census 2027.

In a communication addressed to the chief secretaries of all states and the Census Commissioner, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan emphasized that the information collected during the Census is confidential and safeguarded under the Census Act of 1948.

According to Section 15 of the Census Act, census records are not subject to public inspection and cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings.

Narayan stated, "It is important to clarify that provisional population figures or any census data derived from enumeration or household schedules must not be disclosed to the media or utilized by any official or unofficial entity until further notice from the ORGI."

He also mentioned that Census 2027 will be conducted digitally, with enumerators and supervisors utilizing their mobile devices to gather and submit data to a central server.

In instances where data collection is performed on paper, it must be entered into the designated portal within a week, he added.

In cases of operational challenges such as technical difficulties or connectivity issues, data may be collected using paper forms, which will later be entered into the mobile application by the enumerator.

If the enumerator is unable to complete this task, senior officials, including the charge officer and principal census officer, will assist in data entry through the specialized portal.

The charge officer is responsible for ensuring that data entry for all enumeration blocks (EBs) collected in paper format is finalized within seven days after the completion of the enumeration period. A schedule for data entry may be prepared as needed.

Narayan also highlighted that the record room where data is stored must be adequately protected against fire, floods, dust, and pests.

An experienced nodal officer, at least at the rank of assistant director, will be appointed to oversee the record room and ensure that all documents are received according to inventory and dispatch protocols.

This census, the eighth since India gained independence, will be conducted in two phases: the first phase involves house listing and housing census, while the second phase focuses on population enumeration. Originally scheduled for 2021, the decennial exercise was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Union Cabinet has allocated ₹11,718 crore for this census, marking it as the largest headcount initiative.

Population enumeration in states like Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, as well as other non-snowbound areas of Uttarakhand, is set to occur from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027, coinciding with assembly elections.

The central government has postponed house-listing operations for Census 2027 in Manipur, as per a notification from RGI last month.

The census activities in Ladakh and snowbound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand were conducted from September 1 to 30.

For the remaining regions of the country, the census is expected to commence in February next year, during which data on various demographic, socio-cultural, and economic factors, including migration and fertility characteristics of households, will be collected.