Census 2027: Govt says postponement aimed at protecting primary education post-Covid

The Union Home Ministry on June 5 clarified that the national Population Census, now scheduled for 2027, was delayed to avoid major disruptions to primary education in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A day earlier, the government had announced that data collection for both the decadal Census and a nationwide caste enumeration would begin early next year.

The exercise will offer a snapshot of the country's population as of March 1, 2027, which will serve as the reference date.

The last census was held in 2011, with March 1 of that year as the reference point. The next round, due in 2021, was deferred due to the pandemic.

“All preparations for Census 2021 were complete. However, due to the Covid outbreak across the country, the census work was postponed,” the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson posted on X.

“Covid disrupted all sectors, including education. Around 30 lakh enumerators are needed for the census, and most of them are primary school teachers. Conducting the census post-Covid could have disrupted primary education immensely,” the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson added that countries that moved ahead with censuses shortly after the pandemic experienced “issues on quality and coverage of census data.”

The delay has also drawn criticism from opposition leaders. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin alleged that the deferment was politically motivated and aimed at reducing his state’s representation in Parliament.

“The Indian Constitution mandates that delimitation must follow the first census after 2026. The BJP has now delayed the census to 2027, making their plan clear to reduce Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary representation. I had warned about this. It is now unfolding… We need clear answers from the Union Government,” Stalin said in a post on X.

In response, the Home Ministry maintained that the concerns of southern states would be addressed during the delimitation process.

“The Honorable Home Minister has made it clear on several occasions that in the delimitation exercise, concerns of southern states will be taken care of and discussed with all concerned at the appropriate time,” the spokesperson said.

The ministry also reaffirmed its commitment to completing the census, stating that the process would begin soon and conclude with March 1, 2027, as the official reference date.

“Budget has never been a constraint for conducting the Census, as allocation of funds is always ensured by the government,” the post added.