Amit Shah soft-launches digital tools for Census 2027
New Delhi, 5 March 2026- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft-launched a set of digital tools and unveiled two mascots – “Pragati” and “Vikas” – for the upcoming Census 2027 in New Delhi, marking a major step towards conducting the country’s first fully digital census.
The census, which will be conducted in two phases, is expected to be the world’s largest enumeration exercise and will involve more than three million enumerators, supervisors and officials across India.
During the event, HM Shah introduced four advanced digital platforms developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to streamline the census process and enhance monitoring of field operations.
For the first time in India’s census history, citizens will also have the option of Self-Enumeration, allowing respondents to submit their household details online before the door-to-door survey. The secure web-based portal will enable eligible members of a household to fill in their data in 16 languages. Once submitted, a unique Self-Enumeration ID will be generated, which enumerators can later verify during field visits.
The government had earlier notified its intent to conduct the Census 2027 through a Gazette notification issued on June 16, 2025, formally initiating the process.
Mascots to promote awareness
Two mascots – Pragati (a female enumerator) and Vikas (a male enumerator) – were unveiled to serve as the public faces of the census campaign. According to officials, the mascots symbolise the equal participation of women and men in the national mission to build a developed India by 2047. They will be used in public outreach campaigns to spread awareness about the census and its objectives.
Digital tools for census operations
The four digital tools launched at the event aim to modernise census operations:
* Houselisting Block Creator (HLBC) Web Application: A web-mapping platform that enables officials to create houselisting blocks using satellite imagery for standardised geographic coverage.
* HLO Mobile Application: A secure offline app that will allow enumerators to collect and upload houselisting data directly from the field using registered mobile devices.
* Self-Enumeration Portal: A web-based platform that allows households to voluntarily submit their census information online before field verification.
* Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) Portal: A centralised dashboard to plan, manage and monitor census activities across district, state and national levels in real time.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the adoption of digital platforms would reduce paperwork, improve efficiency and enhance transparency in the census process.
Two-phase census exercise
The census will be conducted in two stages.
Phase 1: Houselisting and Housing Census
This phase will collect information on housing conditions and household amenities. It will take place between April 1 and September 30, 2026, during a 30-day period notified by each state or union territory. A 15-day optional self-enumeration window will precede the door-to-door survey.
Phase 2: Population Enumeration
The second phase will record demographic, social and economic details of every individual and is scheduled for February 2027 across the country. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, enumeration will take place in September 2026. The second phase will also include a caste-related question.
The reference date for the census will be midnight of March 1, 2027 for most states and union territories, while snow-bound regions will have October 1, 2026 as their reference date.