The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) clarified in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the government has not made any decision to update the National Population Register (NPR). In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, “There is no decision yet to update the NPR. The government has only announced its plan to conduct the Census. The dates for the house listing and housing census will be shared later.”
Census 2027 Will Be Carried Out in Two Stages
The Home Ministry also mentioned that the census in 2027 will be done in two separate phases. The first phase will cover housing details, and the second will focus on population and caste data.
Minister Nityanand Rai explained, “The government published a notification in the Gazette on June 16, 2025, stating its intention to carry out the Census. The first phase will include house listing and the housing census. This includes details about living conditions, household items, and basic facilities.
He added, “In the second phase, the census will cover population data such as demographic, cultural, and economic details. It will also include caste-related information. As per the Ministry, the main reference date for the Census will be March 1, 2027. But for Ladakh and the snow-covered regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the Census reference date will be October 1, 2026. The Census will be based on information collected as of midnight on March 1, 2027, in most parts of India. But for the cold, remote regions, the reference time will be midnight on October 1, 2026,” the minister added. The ministry also mentioned that the final budget for conducting the census is still being worked out.
Preparations for Census 2027 Underway
Earlier this month, the Home Ministry said that work for Census 2027 has already started. On July 22, it informed Parliament that a two-day meeting with census officers had been held to discuss how the process will be carried out.
The event took place on July 3-4 in New Delhi. Directors of Census Operations from various states and Union Territories took part, along with senior officials from the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. During the meeting, officials discussed several important topics. These included confirming administrative unit boundaries, using mobile apps to collect data, overseeing operations with the help of the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), allowing people to fill in their details on their own, and training staff involved in the census. These discussions are part of the planning to ensure that Census 2027 runs smoothly across the country.
