Uttar Pradesh gears up for Census 2027 in two-phase, caste count in second phase

New Delhi:

India’s 16th Census is set to begin in Uttar Pradesh, with authorities laying out a detailed plan for the massive exercise. According to IAS officer Sheetal Verma, the census in the state will be carried out in two phases.

• Phase 1: May 22 to June 20, 2026
• Phase 2: February 2027

Phase 1: House listing and asset survey

The first phase will focus on collecting information about houses and basic facilities available to families.

Enumerators will visit homes across the state to gather details such as:

• Condition of houses
• Amenities available to households
• Information about assets

Officials will use a mobile app to record data, making the process faster and more accurate.

Phase 2: Population and caste data

The second phase, scheduled for February 2027, will involve collection of individual-level data, including population details. Importantly, this phase will also include a caste census, which will be conducted in line with central government policy.

Caste-based data will be collected for the first time since Independence. However, officials noted that the standard operating procedure (SOP) for this exercise is still being finalized.

Director and Chief Principal Census Officer, Sheetal Verma, addressing a press conference said, “The first phase, what we refer to as Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO), is scheduled to take place in 2026. Each state designates a specific 30-day window for this process. Our state has designated the period from May 22nd to June 20th for this first phase. The first phase focuses on enumeration at the household level; we do not cover details such as the number of people residing in a household or their individual characteristics. Those details fall under Phase Two. This includes the individual characteristics of each person, such as religion, caste, and literacy and all such questions are addressed during the individual enumeration process. This is when we conduct a headcount of each person individually; this constitutes Phase Two, which will be conducted simultaneously across the entire country in February 2027.”

Massive workforce deployed

To manage the large-scale operation, over 5.25 lakh officials and staff have been assigned duties across Uttar Pradesh. This includes:

• Divisional commissioners and district magistrates
• Senior district-level officers
• Master trainers and field trainers
• Around 5 lakh supervisors and enumerators