Census of India 2026-27: First Digital Census and QR-Enabled Enumerator Verification

Key facts

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is conducting the first digital Census of India, which includes the first-ever enumeration of caste and a self-enumeration option.
• Lalit Jain, the Director of Census Operations (DCO) for Haryana, stated that enumerators have been issued identity cards with Quick Response (QR) codes to allow residents to verify their authenticity.
• According to Section 8(2) of the Census Act, 1948, every resident is legally bound to answer Census-related questions to the best of their knowledge or belief.
• The first phase of the Census commenced on 1 April 2026 and is scheduled to conclude by 30 September 2026, while the second phase for Population Enumeration is set for February 2027.
• Door-to-door visits are currently under way in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Delhi (NDMC and Delhi Cantonment Board areas), Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.