New Delhi. India’s India First Digital Census has been officially announced. The Home Ministry has issued the notification for the first phase of the first digital census. Under this, the first phase of census will run across the country from 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2026. The census postponed due to Covid-19 will now be completed in digital format, which will be applicable in all states and union territories.
Caste census will be held after 90 years
The biggest feature of this census is that caste census will be conducted for the first time after independence. Before this, the last caste based census was conducted in the year 1931. This means that after about 90 years, there will be an official counting of castes in the country again. This proposal was approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2025. This entire process will cost approximately Rs 1,718.2 crore.
Census process will be done in two phases
India First Digital Census will be completed in two phases.
The first phase will take place between April to September 2026, in which house listing and housing census will be conducted. In this, information will be collected whether the house is pucca or kutcha, whether basic facilities like electricity, water and toilet are available or not.
The second phase will take place in February 2027, in which the actual population of the country will be counted.
30 lakh employees will collect digital data
This time the census will be completely digital. Whereas earlier data was collected through paper and pen, now information will be recorded through mobile apps and tablets. For this, about 30 lakh employees will be deployed across the country.
Why is census necessary?
The main objective of the census is to collect information about the number, socio-economic status and basic needs of every person living in the country. Census was conducted for the first time in India in 1871. This process has been done regularly every 10 years since 1981.
