New Delhi, Mar 31: India’s 16th Census, and the 8th since Independence, is set to commence tomorrow, with plans for both a house listing and self-enumeration process. The Census will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase will involve house listing and self-enumeration. The self-enumeration option will be available to the public over a 15-day period, running from April 1 to August 31, 2026. This schedule will vary across different States and Union Territories. Once self-enumeration is completed in each region, the house listing process will follow, taking place over a 30-day span until September 30, 2026. The self-enumeration portal will be accessible in 16 languages to accommodate diverse populations.

While the questions for the first phase have already been finalized, those for the second phase will be announced at a later time. Notably, caste enumeration will be included in the second phase of the Census.

Census 2027 will utilize digital tools for data collection, with a mobile app and web-based portal for self-enumeration and overall management of the Census activities. The web mapping applications would be used to create the House Listing Block (HLB), streamlining the entire process.