Census 2027 is one of the world’s largest administrative exercises and for the first time citizens will be able to submit their family details online through the self-enumeration portal between April 16 to 30, 2026, prior to fieldwork. A training programme on preparations for the 2027 Census was held under the chairmanship of District Collector Raghvendra Singh, on Tuesday. The session was conducted by a State-level trainer from Bhopal, who briefed officials in detail about the census work plan and procedures. Officials informed that the upcoming census will be the 16th since 1872 and the 8th after Independence. The previous census was conducted in 2011. The Census 2027 will be carried out in two phases, the first phase from May 1 to 30, 2026, covering house listing and housing enumeration and the second phase in February–March 2027 for population enumeration. It was emphasised that census work is conducted within a fixed timeline and no extension or change in the schedule is possible.

 

It was informed that digital tools will be used for the 2027 census to ensure greater accuracy of data. Information will be collected through the Self-Enumeration (SE) portal and HLO mobile app. House listing blocks will be created through the HLBC web portal, while monitoring will be done via the Census Management and Monitoring System portal. Detailed guidance was provided regarding the roles of district-level officers, charge officers, field trainers, master trainers, enumerators and supervisors. As per instructions, in urban areas Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) will act as the charge officer, while in rural areas the Tehsildar will hold this responsibility. Circulars issued by the Census Directorate of Madhya Pradesh were also discussed. All SDMs and Tehsildars were present during the training. A question-and-answer session was held at the end of the programme to address participants’ queries and ensure clarity on all operational aspects of Census 2027.