Union Minister Amit Shah soft-launches four digital tools & formally unveiled mascots, Pragati & Vikas

What is Census 2027?

India will conduct Census 2027, which will be the world’s largest population enumeration exercise.

The initiative was launched with a soft launch of digital platforms by Amit Shah.

The census will introduce digital technology and online self-enumeration for the first time.

The government earlier announced the census through a gazette notification issued on June 16, 2025.

Mascots Unveiled for Census 2027:

Two mascots named Pragati and Vikas were introduced.

Pragati represents a female enumerator and Vikas represents a male enumerator.

The mascots highlight:

Equal participation of women and men in the census exercise.

India’s aspiration to become a developed nation by 2047.

Development of Digital Platforms:

The digital systems supporting the census were developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

These platforms will help manage the entire enumeration process using mobile technology, satellite imagery, and real-time monitoring systems.

Key Digital Systems Introduced:

Four major digital platforms were launched:

Houselisting Block Creator Web Application:

Uses satellite imagery to create houselisting blocks for census operations.

HLO Mobile Application:

Enables enumerators to collect and upload field data through smartphones.

Self Enumeration Portal:

Allows citizens to submit household details online in 16 languages before the door-to-door survey begins.

Census Management and Monitoring System:

Allows authorities to track census progress in real time across the country.

Phases of Census 2027:

The census will be conducted in two phases:

Houselisting and Housing Census:

Focuses on housing conditions and household amenities.

Scheduled between April 1 and September 30.

Each state and union territory will conduct the survey during a 30-day locally notified period.

A 15-day optional self-enumeration window will be provided before the field survey begins.

Population Enumeration:

Will collect demographic, social, and economic information about individuals.

Scheduled to take place across the country in February 2027.

Special Arrangements for Snow-Bound Regions:

Population enumeration will be conducted earlier in September in:

Ladakh

Snow-bound areas of Jammand Kashmir

Himachal Pradesh

Uttarakhand

The change is due to harsh winter weather conditions in these regions.

Workforce for the Census:

More than 30 lakh enumerators, supervisors, and personnel will participate in the exercise.

The census will rely heavily on:

Mobile applications

Digital data collection systems

Real-time monitoring tools

These technologies aim to ensure accuracy, transparency, and complete coverage of the population.