The Union Government has advanced the population enumeration schedule for Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and the non-snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 5, 2026.
As per the notification issued by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, the house-to-house population count in these states and areas will be conducted from December 1, 2026 to January 4, 2027, followed by a revisional round from January 5 to January 9, 2027.
An option for self-enumeration will be available from November 16 to November 30, 2026, just before the start of the door-to-door exercise. The reference date for the Census in these regions has been fixed at 00:00 hours on January 5, 2027.
Background: Two-phase Census 2027
The latest order is part of the preparations for Census 2027, India's first decennial Census since 2011. The exercise, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Registrar General had earlier notified that the first phase — Houselisting Operations (HLO) — would be conducted across all States and Union Territories between April 1 and September 30, 2026.
The second phase — Population Enumeration (PE) — was broadly scheduled for February 2027 for the rest of the country, with the reference date of March 1, 2027. For snow-bound areas of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date is October 1, 2026.
Why the schedule was advanced
The advancement is significant as Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand — and Manipur — are due for Assembly elections in early 2027. Reports note that conducting enumeration in December-January will ensure the exercise is completed before the poll process and the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct begins.
Digital and caste-inclusive Census
Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital Census and, following a Union Cabinet decision on April 30, will include caste enumeration for the first time in nearly 100 years.