Earliest Census Data Set to be Available in 2027
Context:
The Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India recently announced that the upcoming Census will be conducted digitally, with the earliest data sets expected to be published in 2027.
Citizens will have the option of self-enumeration using mobile phones and laptops through a portal available in 16 languages
Phases of the Census:
Phase 1 (House Listing Operations):
Scheduled to run from April 1 to September 30 across all states.
The self-enumeration window will open 15 days prior to the start of this phase.
Here data is collected of housing conditions, assets, amenities like drinking water, electricity and type of household.
Phase 2 (Population Enumeration):
Scheduled for February 2027, this phase will collect detailed individual information, including data on education, migration, fertility religion and caste.
Data Confidentiality:
Governed by the Census Act, 1948,and Census Act,1990 all individual census data is strictly confidential and beyond the "scope of investigation".
The government releases only aggregate data.
Individual details cannot be shared with State governments or the judiciary, do not fall under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and cannot be used to grant reservation benefits to specific individuals.
Key Geographical and Administrative Shifts (Since 2011):
Preliminary mapping data reveals a clear trend of increasing urbanization and administrative subdivision since the 2011 Census:
The number of villages has decreased by 1,300 (from 6,40,930 to 6,39,630).
The number of States and Union Territories has increased by one to 36.
Districts have increased from 640 to 784, and sub-districts have grown from 5,990 to 7,092.
There has been a significant rise in both Statutory Towns (increasing from 4,041 to 5,128) and Census Towns (increasing from 3,892 to 4,580).
Definitions:
Statutory Towns:
These are urban areas defined by administrative statute.
They include all places with a recognized urban local body, such as a Municipality, Municipal Corporation, Cantonment Board, or Notified Town Area Committee, regardless of their demographic characteristics.
Census Towns:
These are areas that are not statutorily notified as towns but are classified as urban by the Census Bureau because they meet three specific demographic criteria:
A minimum population of 5,000.
At least 75% of the male main working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits.
A population density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre.