India’s First Digital Census 2027 Introduces Self-Enumeration, Mascots ‘Pragati’ and ‘Vikas’

India’s next census to be conducted digitally with self-enumeration option; over 30 lakh officials to participate

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft-launched four digital platforms and unveiled the official mascots — Pragati and Vikas — for Census 2027, marking the beginning of preparations for what will be the world’s largest population enumeration exercise.

Developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), the new digital tools are designed to support enumeration operations across the country. The launch took place in New Delhi in the presence of senior officials including the union home secretary and the registrar general and census commissioner of India.

Census 2027 will introduce several technological innovations, including fully digital enumeration and a self-enumeration facility for citizens. The census process was formally initiated through a Gazette notification issued on June 16, 2025.

First digital census with self-enumeration option

For the first time in India’s census history, the exercise will be conducted using digital tools. Respondents will also have the option of self-enumeration through a secure web-based portal, allowing households to submit their information online before enumerators visit them.

The self-enumeration portal will generate a unique Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID) after submission of household details. Enumerators will use this ID to verify the information during field visits.

The system will support 16 Indian languages, making it accessible to a wide section of the population.

Four digital tools for enumeration

The government launched four digital platforms designed to streamline the census process and enable real-time monitoring.

The Houselisting Block Creator (HLBC) web application will allow charge officers to digitally create houselisting blocks using satellite imagery, ensuring accurate geographic coverage across the country.

The HLO mobile application will be used by enumerators for collecting houselisting data during field operations. The app allows offline data collection and later synchronization with central servers. It is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and can operate in 16 languages.

The Self-Enumeration portal will enable households to submit their details online before the door-to-door survey begins.

The Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) will function as a centralized platform for planning, managing, and monitoring the entire census operation. Officials at district, state, and national levels will be able to track progress through a digital dashboard.

Mascots symbolize inclusive participation

The mascots Pragati (female enumerator) and Vikas (male enumerator) were unveiled as symbolic representatives of the Census 2027 outreach campaign.

According to officials, the mascots represent the equal participation of women and men in nation-building and reflect India’s broader goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. They will be used in public awareness campaigns to communicate key messages about the census.

Two-phase census exercise

Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases, the government said.

The first phase, Houselisting and Housing Census, will gather information on housing conditions and household amenities. It will be conducted between April 1 and September 30, 2026, during a 30-day period notified by each state and union territory. An optional 15-day self-enumeration window will precede the house-to-house survey.

The second phase, Population Enumeration, will take place in February 2027 across the country. In snow-bound and non-synchronous areas such as Ladakh and parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, enumeration will be conducted in September 2026.

Officials said that caste-related questions will also be included in the population enumeration phase.

The reference date for Census 2027 will be 00:00 hours of March 1, 2027 for most states and union territories, while snow-bound regions will use October 1, 2026 as the reference date.

Massive nationwide operation

More than 30 lakh enumerators, supervisors, and other census officials will be deployed across the country to conduct the exercise.

Officials said the adoption of digital tools will improve efficiency, accuracy, and real-time monitoring while ensuring that the census process remains secure and inclusive.

Census 2027 will be the first population census conducted after the Covid-19 pandemic, and is expected to provide critical demographic and socio-economic data for policymaking and development planning in the coming decade.