Census 2027: Govt Advances Population Enumeration In 4 States; Oppn Slams ‘Poor Planning’

The Union Government has advanced the schedule for population enumeration under Census 2027 in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, along with areas of Uttarakhand that are not snow-bound.

According to a notification issued by the Central Government, population enumeration in these states and areas will be conducted from December 1, to January 4, 2027. A revisional round will subsequently be held from January 5-9. The decision has been taken under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The Registrar General of India (RGI) also confirmed the schedule.

For Census 2027, residents in the states covered by the December-January exercise will have the option of self-enumeration before the house-to-house population count begins. The self-enumeration window will remain open from November 16-30, 2026.

The government has fixed January 5 as the reference date for the Census in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and the non-snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand. The latest notification specifically excludes the snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand from this schedule.

The population enumeration is part of the broader Census 2027 exercise, with the government using separate schedules for areas depending on local conditions, including weather-related constraints in Uttarakhand. The house-to-house enumeration will follow the self-enumeration phase, with the revisional round being conducted after the main exercise to account for any changes or omissions.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has questioned the sudden move, calling out the government's "poor planning." In a post on X, Ramesh questioned why the enumeration process was being advanced now, when the government was aware that the four states were poll-bound in 2027.

He added, "why the sudden dawn of wisdom? Undoubtedly there are some nefarious political calculations afoot."

Sriram Ganesh is a Senior Copy Editor with nearly four years of experience in television news media. Having previously worked as a reporter and desk w... View More