The Registrar General of India has confirmed that the house-listing phase of the delayed decadal Census will begin in October, with enumerators mapping households and building characteristics across all states and union territories.
The population enumeration phase, which records individual demographic data, is expected to follow early next year. Officials said this Census will, for the first time, include a self-enumeration option through a dedicated portal.
Demographers said the multi-year delay has complicated planning for welfare schemes tied to updated population figures, with several states relying on projected rather than counted data since the last Census.
