Pre-test for Census first phase to be held from November 10

Pre-test is required to test the efficacy of the entire Census exercise that will be held in two phases, with the Housing Census and Population Enumeration scheduled from April 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027. File

| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The pre-test for the first phase of Population Census 2027 will be conducted from November 10-30 in selected sample areas of all States and Union Territories, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India said in a notification on Thursday (October 16, 2027).The option to self-enumerate will be available between November 1, 2025 and November 7, 2025, the notification added.The notification implies that the methodology on caste enumeration has not been finalised yet as, unlike the previous instances, the pre-test for only the first phase — Houselisting and Housing Census — has been notified on Thursday (October 16, 2025).In 2019, the questions to be asked in both the phases — the Housing Census and Population Enumeration, and the National Population Register — were tested in succession from August 12, 2019 to September 30, 2029.Pre-test is required to test the efficacy of the entire exercise that will be held in two phases, with the Housing Census and Population Enumeration scheduled from April 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027.This will be the first digital Census, and the first to enumerate caste in independent India.The test will evaluate the proposed questions, data collection methodologies, training effectiveness, logistics, printing processes, data quality assessment, and identify potential field issues, among others.The Hindu reported on July 9 that in the pre-test exercise for Census 2027 only questions pertaining to household amenities in the Housing Census phase will be asked.“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 17A of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948) read with Rule 6D of the Census Rules, 1990, the Central government hereby extends the provisions of the said Act for conduct of pre-test of the first phase of Census of India, 2027. The pre-test of the first phase of the Census of India 2027, that is, Houselisting and Housing Census, in the selected sample areas shall be conducted from November 10 to November 30, 2025 in all States and Union Territories. There shall also be an option for self-enumeration from November 1, 2025 to November 7, 2025,” the notification by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said.This is the first Census since 2011 as the exercise that was scheduled in 2021 was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will now be completed in 2027.The pre-test for the planned 2021 Census took place in 2019, covering more than 26 lakh people in 76 districts of 36 States and Union Territories. Around 6,000 enumerators and 1,100 supervisors from State governments were engaged in 2019.The Registrar General and Census Commissioner had earlier informed the States that the boundaries of administrative units would be frozen by December 31, and if any changes were to be made to the limits of the tehsils, districts, etc., it should be done before the said date.The intent for conducting the Census was notified on June 16. Published - October 16, 2025 10:00 pm IST