Housing Census 2026 (Government Schemes & Initiatives)
Housing Census 2026 (Government Schemes & Initiatives)
Why In News:
Field Operations for Houselisting and Housing Census Commences in Himachal Pradesh
India's first-ever Self-Enumeration feature has been launched in Kerala and Nagaland, allowing citizens to fill their own census data online.
This is India's first digital-first census, replacing traditional paper-based enumeration with mobile applications and a web portal.
Constitutional and Legal Framework
Census Act, 1948: The legal basis for conducting the census in India.
Union List Entry 69 (Seventh Schedule): Census is an exclusive Central Government subject.
Conducted by: The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (ORGI), under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Decadal census is mandated every 10 years; the 2021 Census was postponed due to COVID-19 and is now being conducted as the Census 2027.
The first synchronous census in India was conducted in the Year 1881.
Digital-First Features of Census 2026
Self-Enumeration: Citizens can fill their own census data via a government mobile app or web portal - first time in India's census history.
E-Roster: An electronic system for managing enumerator assignments and supervisory oversight.
Captures housing conditions - type of dwelling, access to sanitation, water, electricity, and cooking fuel - with improved granularity.
Key Facts for Prelims
Census 2011 data: India's population was 1.21 billion; literacy rate 74.04%; decadal growth rate 17.7%.
National Population Register (NPR): Created from the House-listing phase; forms the base for the biometric identity database.
Delimitation: Redrawing of parliamentary and assembly constituencies is based on census data. Constituency boundaries were frozen using 1971 census data;
As per the constitutional mandate, the 1st census after 2026 can be used as the basis to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies.