The Telangana government has issued orders fixing the schedule for the second phase of Census 2027.
The census is the nationwide count of the country's population.
The orders were issued through a government order dated November 9, 2026.
The General Administration Department republished the Union Home Ministry's notification of October 30, 2026, in an extraordinary issue of the Telangana Gazette, the official government publication.
Online self-enumeration will run from January 10 to 24, 2027.
Self-enumeration means citizens submit their household details online before census officials visit.
After that, house-to-house counting will take place from January 25 to February 28, 2027.
Officials will visit homes to record the population.
- January 10 to 24, 2027Online self-enumeration: citizens submit household details online before officials visit.
- January 25 to February 28, 2027House-to-house counting, with officials visiting homes to record the population.
- March 1, 2027Reference date for the census, at 00:00 hours.
- March 1 to 5, 2027Revisional round after the population enumeration.
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
Key points
- Online self-enumeration runs from January 10 to 24, 2027.
- House-to-house counting runs from January 25 to February 28, 2027.
- A revisional round is set for March 1 to 5, 2027.
- The reference date is 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.
So what should residents do first?
The new system lets citizens share household details online. This can be done before census staff come to the door.
The count is also going digital for the first time. Earlier, the nationwide count was done on paper.
Who will do the counting?
The Union Home Ministry recently amended the Census Rules, 1990.
The change widens the list of people who can be appointed as census enumerators.
Under the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026, teachers from government and private educational institutions are eligible.
Clerks and officials from central and state departments, local bodies, banks and companies are also eligible.
State governments and Union Territory administrations can also appoint any other person they consider suitable for census duties.
What happens after the counting ends?
The population enumeration will be followed by a revisional round from March 1 to 5, 2027.
The reference date for the census is 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.
Census 2027 will be India's 16th census and the eighth since Independence.
The results will shape how the country understands its population.
Explainer
What happened before
- The Union Home Ministry issued a notification on October 30, 2026, setting out the Census 2027 process.
- The Census Rules, 1990 were recently amended to widen the people who can work as census enumerators.
- Census 2027 will be India's 16th census and the eighth since Independence.
Why it matters
This is the first nationwide population count done digitally, so residents can share their details online before officials visit.
What to watch next
- Online self-enumeration runs from January 10 to 24, 2027, followed by house-to-house counting from January 25 to February 28.
- A revisional round will be held from March 1 to 5, 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.
