Gandhinagar, May 31: The first phase of the nationwide Population Census-2027 will commence across Gujarat on June 1, 2026, marking the beginning of India’s first-ever fully digital census exercise. Conducted under the theme “People’s Welfare through Census”, the exercise will be the 16th Census in India and the 8th after Independence.

According to Census Director Sujal J. Mayatra, the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) phase will be conducted from June 1 to June 30, 2026. During this phase, enumerators will collect information through 33 questions covering housing conditions, household details, drinking water sources, sanitation facilities, and other household assets.

The second phase, comprising Population Enumeration (PE) and Caste Enumeration, will be conducted from February 9 to February 28, 2027. Along with population data, caste-related information will also be collected during this phase across the country.

Over 3.74 Lakh Citizens Participate in Self-Enumeration

Ahead of the field survey, Gujarat witnessed enthusiastic participation in the self-enumeration campaign launched on May 17, 2026. Several prominent personalities, including Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, senior bureaucrats, district collectors, municipal commissioners, and citizens completed their census forms online.

As of May 30, more than 3.74 lakh people had registered under the self-enumeration initiative. Of these, around 3.30 lakh submissions have been completed, while approximately 44,000 applications remain under process.

Massive Statewide Exercise

The census operation will cover every district, municipal corporation, municipality, and village across Gujarat. The exercise will involve:

• 1,10,598 House Listing Blocks (HLBs)
• 1,09,038 Enumerators
• 18,254 Supervisors

Authorities have conducted training programmes in three phases for enumerators, supervisors, and census officials to ensure smooth implementation.

First Fully Digital Census

For the first time, the census will be conducted through a completely digital platform. Dedicated Android and iOS applications have been developed with offline data collection capabilities and support for 16 languages, including Gujarati.

Citizens were also given the option of self-enumeration, allowing them to submit their details online through the official census portal between May 17 and May 31, 2026.

Data Confidentiality Assured

Officials have emphasized that all information collected during the census will remain strictly confidential under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The data cannot be used for taxation, legal proceedings, or any non-census purpose.

Authorities have also reminded citizens that providing accurate and complete information is mandatory under the law, which prescribes penalties for refusal to furnish required details.

For assistance, citizens can contact the Government of India’s toll-free helpline 1855 or visit the official census portal:

Census India Portal

Officials have appealed to all residents to actively participate in Census-2027 to help create an accurate database for future planning and welfare initiatives. DeshGujarat