Census 2027: Handheld devices, geo-tagging and CMMS to replace paper process

The Census 2027 will be conducted as a fully digital exercise, with the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) forming the central platform to manage the process. The system has been developed as a dedicated digital portal to handle one of the largest administrative exercises in the world.

The upcoming Census marks a shift from paper-based enumeration, replacing traditional methods with handheld devices, geo-tagged mapping tools and a centralised web-based platform. It will be India’s first fully digital Census.

The software system has been designed to monitor operations in near real time and will enable 3.2 million field functionaries, including enumerators and supervisors, to collect detailed demographic, social and economic data from households using handheld devices. The data will be transmitted, aggregated and validated through the CMMS, reducing the time required for compilation and error correction.

“The ensuing Census 2027 will make extensive use of digital technology to enhance the quality, efficiency, and timeliness of data collection and dissemination. In the forthcoming Census, data will be collected through digital mode, marking a significant and transformative step towards the modernisation of the Census process,” Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said in a circular addressed to Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories.

The circular, seen by PTI, states that the CMMS will support end-to-end management of Census operations. This includes creation of users at multiple levels, handling training modules, creation of houselisting blocks (HLB) and their descriptions and supervisory circles, allocation of supervisory circles and HLBs, and generation of appointment letters and identity cards for enumerators and supervisors.

The system will also provide role-based access control to support appointments, training and near real-time monitoring of field operations.

The software includes a web-based mapping application that allows geo-tagging of houselisting blocks, integrating spatial data with demographic enumeration. Officials said the digital mapping tools will help define boundaries more precisely, reducing overlaps and omissions.

Geo-tagging is expected to improve data accuracy and create a digital spatial archive that can be used for planning, disaster management and infrastructure development beyond the Census exercise.

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting Census 2027, which will include caste enumeration for the first time.

This will be the 16th Census since Independence and will be conducted as a fully digital exercise. Citizens will also have the option of self-enumeration.

The Census, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will now be conducted in two phases: houselisting and housing census from April to September 2026, followed by population enumeration in February 2027.

The Registrar General of India (RGI) has issued a list of 33 questions that will be asked during the first phase of the Census, which begins on April 1.

The houselisting and housing census involves listing all structures, houses and households across the country to create a framework for the population enumeration phase.

For this process, villages and urban wards will be divided into clearly demarcated blocks to ensure equal distribution of work among enumerators. These units will be mapped and defined for Census operations.

“Such blocks created for HLO and population enumeration (PE) are called houselisting blocks (HLBs) and enumeration blocks (EBs), respectively. The HLBs/EBs would ultimately be the smallest administrative unit for conducting the Census and would form the basis for processing of data after the field operations are over,” another circular issued by RGI Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said.

According to the guidelines, an HLB will typically cover a population of 700–800 in residential areas. In sparsely populated non-residential areas, an HLB may be formed by including 300 or more Census houses.

“For the first time, the creation and demarcation of HLBs, formation of SC and allocation of enumerators and supervisors for the HLBs and SCs will be carried out through the Census Monitoring and Management System (CMMS) portal and HLB Census of India 2027- Circular No. 10 Page 5 of 12 Creator (HLBC) Web Mapping Application, respectively,” the circular said.