Two mobile apps, portal to aid in speedy processing of Census 2027 data

The 2027 Census, being conducted after a 16-year gap, is likely to use the templates of two mobile applications and a portal called the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), which were initially developed for the planned 2021 Census. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Enumerators for the 2027 Census will make data entries into apps on their smartphones for the first time, meaning that the data can be processed in real time, officials said on Thursday (June 5, 2025). This could mean the faster publication of datasets, rather than having them spread out over the decade following a population count, as has been seen in the case of past Censuses.

Speeding up the process will allow those who make policies and implement schemes to draw from more accurate and timely data, a government report said.

The 2027 Census, being conducted after a 16-year gap, is likely to use the templates of two mobile applications and a portal called the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), which were initially developed for the planned 2021 Census. Since comprehensive caste information will also be collected for the first time in independent India, the apps will be tweaked and updated to include this data.

According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) 2023-24 annual report, the CMMS portal will be used to monitor the appointment of Census functionaries, including enumerators and supervisors; the training schedule of Census officials; the progress of field-work by each enumerator on a real time basis; and the “auto-generation of some Census Records/Abstracts”.

Mobile apps to be used

The mobile applications — Census 2021-Household and PE-Census 2021 (Population Enumeration) — developed by the National Data Centre of the Registrar General of India are both available on the Google Play Store and the Apple platform, but can only be accessed by government enumerators.

The Census 2021-Household on Google Play, which was last updated on October 7, 2024, had more than 50,000 downloads and an average rating of 3.5. Many users complained that they were unable to login despite multiple attempts and the edit option was not available, which led to the deletion of all data entries.

According to ‘The Treatise on Indian Censuses Since 1981’, a report released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in May 2023, “it is estimated that the data would be collected from 33 crore households and likely to cover 136 crore people.” Around 30 lakh enumerators will fan out to 24 lakh enumeration blocks, each comprising around 800 people.

Digitising data

The report said that till the 2011 Census, the activities were managed and monitored through manual processes, which resulted in “late output of Census results due to obvious reasons.”

“After gathering a lot of experience from previous Censuses and considering the huge size, complexities, and involvement of different functionaries in distant geographical locations, the need for a suitable online Management Information System was felt. This led to the development of the CMMS. Experience of past census exhibits that lot of time and resources were being consumed in digitisation of data collected from the field resulting in delayed processing and dissemination of results by almost a decade,” the report said.

The MHA report said that an enumerator would collect and submit data directly through mobile app, using her or his smartphone. The provision of paper schedules is also being kept, in case of connectivity issues, it said.

Speedier process

The idea behind a digital Census is “to make quality and reliable official data available at the earliest for evidence-based policy making, robust decision support system for inclusive planning, smooth implementation of government welfare schemes, ensuring and enabling the social benefits to reach the focused and targeted group of beneficiaries,” it added.

The Census will be conducted in two phases by February 28, 2027 and the data will have a reference date of 12 a.m. on March 1, 2027. However, the government has not yet notified the date of commencement of the exercise. The notification of the Centre’s intention to conduct the census, and the dates of the two phases will be “published in the official gazette tentatively on June 16 as per provision of section 3 of the Census Act 1948.”

Published - June 05, 2025 08:54 pm IST