Why in News?
India will conduct its next population census by March 1, 2027, after a historic 16-year gap, as announced by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. This will be India’s first digital census and the first post-Independence census to include caste enumeration.
What’s in Today’s Article?
- India’s Next Census Scheduled for 2027
- Delimitation to Begin After Release of Census 2027 Data
India’s Next Census Scheduled for 2027
- The government has announced that the next nationwide population census will begin on April 1, 2026.
- Key Features of the 2027 Census
- First Digital Census: The upcoming exercise will be India’s first fully digital census.
- Caste Enumeration: For the first time since Independence, the census will include caste-based data collection.
- Timeline and Phases
- The census will be held in two phases:
- House Listing and Housing Schedule
- Population Enumeration (includes caste data)
- Both phases will span April 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
- Reference Date:
- March 1, 2027 (for most of India)
- October 1, 2026 (for Ladakh and snow-bound areas in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand)
- Legal and Procedural Aspects
- The census will be conducted under the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990.
- A gazette notification under Section 3 of the Census Act is expected soon, which will formally announce the schedule.
- Political Implications
- As per the constitutional mandate, the first census after 2026 can be used for the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.
- This data could form the basis for electoral constituency restructuring before the 2029 General Elections.
- Impact on Women's Reservation
- The 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, as mandated by the recently passed Women’s Reservation Act, will also come into force only after a new delimitation exercise is conducted based on post-2026 census data.
- No Update on NPR
- There was no mention of updating the National Population Register (NPR) during the announcement.
- As per Citizenship Rules, 2003, NPR is the first step toward compiling a National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC/NRC).
- Background
- The last census was conducted in 2011, with the first phase held in 2010.
- The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other administrative reasons.
Delimitation to Begin After Release of Census 2027 Data
- Once the final census data is released in late 2027, the process of delimitation will begin.
- The Parliament must first pass a new Delimitation Act to legally empower the formation of a Delimitation Commission.
- Legal Provision and mandate
- The process is mandated under Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution, which require delimitation after every Census.
- Once formed, the Commission will consult state governments and stakeholders to devise a formula based on population per constituency.
- Formation and Composition of the Delimitation Commission
- The Delimitation Commission will be:
- Headed by a retired Supreme Court judge
- Include the Chief Election Commissioner and State Election Commissioners
- Assisted by MPs and MLAs from states as associate members (without voting rights)
- Historical Background
- Delimitation was done after the 1951, 1961, and 1971 censuses.
- The 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) froze the number of seats until after the 2001 Census.
- The 84th Constitutional Amendment (2002) extended this freeze until the first census after 2026.
- Current Scenario
- The current 543 Lok Sabha seats are based on the 1971 Census.
- The Delimitation Act of 2002 allowed only boundary redrawing, not an increase in seat numbers.
- To increase seats, a Constitutional Amendment is required, needing a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
- Political and Regional Challenges
- Southern states may lose out in a population-based seat redistribution, as they have successfully controlled population growth.
- Maintaining the current cap of 550 seats (Article 81) without increasing total seats could disadvantage them further.
