The Census Questionnaire is notified by the Central Government before conducting field work through the Official Gazette,” Union MoS Nityanand Rai said in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi on December 9, 2025. Photo: Sansad TV via ANI
The 2027 Census will also include questions on length of stay in current residence and reason for migration, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday (December 9, 2025).
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that in the census, information about each individual is collected at the place where they are during the census period.
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The minister was responding to a question from a Member whether any special provisions are being made to count migrant workers and temporary residents during the 2027 census and whether a separate data collection process is being proposed for the same.
The minister said that migration data is collected for each individual based on their place of birth and place of last residence.
“Census also collects information on length of stay at current residence and reason for migration. Census questionnaire is notified before conducting field work by central government through Official Gazette,” he said.
The 2027 census will take place in two phases – the first is the inventory and census of houses and flats between April and September 2026; and the second, the Population Census (PE), in February 2027.
The first phase from April to September 2026 will take place over a period of 30 days in accordance with the benefits of the state governments.
The population enumeration will be conducted in February 2027 with a reference date of 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, except in the Union Territory of Ladakh, snow-bound asynchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where it will be conducted with a reference date of 02:0206 September on September 0:0206 1, 2026.
The exercise will be digital and will also include caste enumeration as decided by the government’s political affairs committee on April 30.
Published – 09 Dec 2025 19:41 IST
