A people, as in ‘We the People,’ in the preamble of the Constitution, is a political community. A census in this regard is not merely a technical exercise nor it is the counting and the labelling of the population under multiple categories.  A census mediates the transformation of the population to a people in a significant manner. The people — a political community — have a shared view of how they govern themselves and allocate their resources.  For this they need to know how many people live within the borders of their, where they live, how they live, and how fast things are changing.

• But for the first time in independent India’s history, this important tradition was interrupted. The 2021 Census was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and now, after a long wait, the Government of India has announced that the next Census will take place in two stages during 2026 and 2027. The data will reflect the situation in the country as of March 1, 2027. This Census matters more than ever. India has changed a lot since 2011 — in how people work, move, vote, and live. Without fresh and reliable data, policies and decisions are being made in the dark.

About census in India:

• The first synchronous decennial (every ten years) census was conducted in 1881 under W.C. Plowden, the Census Commissioner of India. Independent India’s first census was held in 1951 and since then it has happened in the first year of every decade.
• Although, the Constitution mandates that enumeration is carried out, the Census of India Act of 1948 does not specify its timing or periodicity.
• The population census in India is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• A census counts the total population, and under various categories and qualities — rural and urban, Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, migration, fertility and mortality.
• It also enumerates the latest administrative map of the country. A census, technically speaking, only captures the reality that exists. But the very act of capturing it under definitive categories alters and creates realities. There are organic, natural demographic trends which are underway, whether you document them or not. 

Why the Census Is Crucial for India?

Despite the controversies, the Census remains the most comprehensive, neutral, and essential source of demographic data in India. It provides the foundational structure upon which all other surveys — economic, social, market-related — are based.

1. Data Backbone for All Surveys

The Census captures essential data points:

·         Age and gender

·         Family structure

·         Employment and income

·         Migration

·         Language, education, and disability

This data underpins every large-scale government survey and helps the private sector forecast trends and target consumers effectively.

2. Guiding Economic Policy

Monetary policy decisions — like setting interest rates — depend on the inflation rate, which itself is derived from the Consumer Price Index (CPI). But the CPI uses consumption patterns, such as what percentage of income goes toward food. This is based on past surveys — which, in turn, depend on Census data for their sampling framework.

For example, if food’s actual share in expenditure has dropped (say from 46% to 30%), and we continue to overstate it, then food inflation would seem higher than it actually is. This could lead the RBI to keep interest rates unnecessarily high, slowing down economic growth.

3. Understanding Migration Patterns

Migration is often misunderstood. Contrary to common belief, only 4% of Indians are involved in inter-state migration. The rest — nearly 96% — move within districts or states:

·         62% is intra-district migration

·         26% is inter-district migration

·         Only 12% is inter-state

Moreover, most migration occurs between rural-to-rural areas, not rural-to-urban. Yet, this picture may have drastically changed since 2011. Accurate, current data is essential for planning welfare schemes, urban infrastructure, and labour markets.

4. Urbanisation and City Planning

Estimates suggest that between 30% and 70% of Indians live in urban areas — depending on the definition used. This huge variation makes governance and budget allocation difficult.

If the Census shows that more people live and work in cities, it would call for a fundamental rethinking of city governance, infrastructure planning, taxation, and service delivery.

Why Surveys Alone Cannot Replace the Census:

While some argue that large-scale administrative and digital data can substitute the Census, this is misleading:

·         Administrative data is not standardised across states or departments, making it hard to compare.

·         Self-reported data from departments (e.g., on sanitation or school enrollment) is often exaggerated or inaccurate due to political or bureaucratic pressures.

A strong example was the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) of 2020-21. It showed that 30% of households still lacked toilets, despite official government claims of achieving 100% toilet coverage under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The Cost of Delay: Rising Uncertainty

With each passing year, India’s demographic reality changes — and becomes harder and costlier to track accurately without a Census. As policies are built on older and older data, the risk of misallocation of resources and ineffective policies grows.

Moreover, as the Census becomes entangled with political questions like caste and delimitation, it threatens to become more controversial and less reliable. This makes the upcoming 2026–27 Census both a massive challenge and a critical opportunity.

Conclusion:

The 2026–27 Census is more than just a population count. It is a national mirror — a reflection of who we are and how we live. For over a decade, India’s policymakers, economists, businesses, and civil society have been operating in the dark, relying on outdated numbers.

This Census can provide the critical reset India needs to design effective policies, ensure democratic representation, and drive equitable economic growth. Delayed though it may be, the 2027 Census is a step in the right direction — provided it is conducted transparently, rigorously, and free from political distortion.