Centre releases questionnaire for Phase 1 of 2027 Census
The survey will collect information on the type of cereals consumed, access to basic amenities and modern facilities, and the kinds of vehicles owned by the household. Officials said the data will help in understanding living conditions and planning for public services more effectively.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued a notification detailing the questionnaire for Phase 1 of the Census 2027. This phase will focus on the Houselisting and Housing Census across the country. According to a gazette notification, issued by the Registrar General of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, citizens will be asked 33 questions about their households. The questions will cover various aspects, including the materials used for house floors and roofs, the number of married couples residing in the home and the gender of the head of the household.
The survey will also collect information on the type of cereals consumed, access to basic amenities and modern facilities, and the kinds of vehicles owned by the household. Officials said the data will help in understanding living conditions and planning for public services more effectively.
Move to aid policy making, says government
The government has emphasised that the information collected during this phase is crucial for improving policies and ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently across the country.
"The Central Government hereby instructs that all Census officers may, within the limits of the local areas for which they have been respectively appointed, ask all such questions from all persons on the items enumerated below for collecting information through the houselisting and housing census schedule in connection with the Census of India 2027," the notification read.
The first phase of Census 2027, the house-listing operation, will be carried out over a 30-day period determined individually by each state and Union Territory, anytime between April 1 and September 30 this year. Besides, citizens will have the option of self-enumeration during a 15-day window immediately preceding the start of the 30-day house-listing process.
This massive exercise, with an estimated budget of Rs 11,718 crore, will be conducted in two stages: the first comprising house-listing and housing census from April to September 2026, followed by population enumeration scheduled for February 2027.