The roadmap was outlined during the first meeting of the State-Level Census Coordination Committee (SLCCC) held on Tuesday at Mahanadi Bhavan, chaired by Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel. Senior officials from key departments attended the meeting to finalise administrative, technical and logistical arrangements.
What is changing
Officials said Census 2027 will be India’s first completely digital census, with data collection carried out through a mobile application, while supervision and real-time monitoring will be managed via a web-based portal. Citizens will also be offered the option of self-enumeration, allowing them to submit personal and household details directly through the digital platform.
How the process will work
Census Director Kartikeya Goyal briefed the committee through a detailed presentation, explaining the digital workflow, organisational structure and data security framework. He said the Centre would provide the necessary financial support, while states would focus on execution, manpower deployment and public outreach.
Manpower and logistics
Around 63,000 personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, are expected to be deployed across Chhattisgarh for the exercise. Officials noted that managing human resources, training staff in digital tools and ensuring connectivity in remote areas would be key operational challenges.
Timeline
The census will be conducted in two phases.
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The first phase, covering house listing and housing census, will be carried out between April 1 and September 30, 2026, over a 30-day window. The schedule has been planned keeping the monsoon season and the academic calendar in mind.
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The second phase, the population enumeration, will be conducted simultaneously across the country in February 2027. In view of this, the School Education Department has been directed to align its academic calendar accordingly.
Ground testing already underway
Ahead of the main exercise, a pre-test survey was successfully conducted in November 2025 at selected locations, including villages in Kabirdham district, parts of Mahasamund tehsil, and one ward of the Raipur Municipal Corporation. Feedback from this pilot will be incorporated into the final census framework.
Why it matters
Addressing the meeting, Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel said Census 2027 would serve as a foundation for future policy-making, welfare schemes and resource allocation. He urged all departments to work in mission mode and appealed to citizens to actively participate to ensure accurate and inclusive data.
Officials said further coordination meetings will be held to review progress as the census timeline approaches.
