Parliament Question: Census 2027 Safeguards

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5278 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 24TH MARCH, 2026/ CHAITRA 3, 1948 (SAKA) CENSUS 2027 SAFEGUARDS

5278. SHRI G KUMAR NAIK:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to conduct the forthcoming Population Census using digital and technology-enabled methods, and if so, the nature of personal data proposed to be collected;

(b) whether the Government has clarified if Census data will remain strictly isolated for statistical purposes or whether it is proposed to be linked, directly or indirectly, with databases such as Aadhaar, the National Population Register, voter rolls or any other administrative datasets, and if so, the legal basis and safeguards governing such linkage;

(c) whether there exist legal provisions to ensure that Census data is not shared for citizenship verification, profiling or surveillance purposes and whether independent security audits are mandated and the details thereof;

and

(d) the steps being taken to ensure federal participation in the Census process, including real-time access for State Governments to enumeration data during collection, public dashboards, independent verification of Census data? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a): Yes, Sir. Census 2027 is planned to be conducted through digital means. Apart from collection of Census data by the Enumerators using Mobile App, provision for Self-Enumeration by the respondents has-2- L.S.US.Q.NO. 5278 FOR 24.03.2026 also been made for the first time through a web portal. A web Portal has been developed to manage and monitor various activities of Census 2027.

Questions for the first phase of Census 2027 have been notified. Questions of second phase of Census are notified in due course before conduct of second phase. While information on housing condition, household particulars, amenities available and assets possessed by the household are collected in the first phase of the Census, information on demographic, socio-economic, education, migration etc. of the individual members are collected in the second phase of the Census.

(b) and (c): Census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act 1948 and Census Rules, 1990 and amendments made thereunder. Individual data collected in the Census is kept confidential and only aggregated data at various administrative levels is published.

(d): States and Union Territories play a pivotal role in smooth conduct of the Census, as various field-level activities including collection of data, verification, monitoring and supervision, review of progress are carried out by Census functionaries appointed and deployed by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations under the provisions of Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules,1990.

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