Amit Shah Soft Launches Digital Tools, Mascots for Census 2027

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft-launched four digital platforms and unveiled the official mascots — “Pragati” and “Vikas” — for Census 2027 in New Delhi. The exercise is expected to be the world’s largest census operation and will be conducted in two phases.

For the first time, India’s census will be carried out using digital tools, along with an option for citizens to complete self-enumeration online. The digital platforms, developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, aim to modernise the data collection process and improve accuracy.

The four tools launched include the Houselisting Block Creator (HLBC) Web Application, which allows officials to create houselisting blocks using satellite imagery; the HLO Mobile Application for enumerators to collect data digitally in the field; the Self-Enumeration Portal, which enables households to submit their information online in 16 languages; and the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) to track census operations in real time.

The mascots “Pragati” (female) and “Vikas” (male) represent the equal participation of women and men in the nation-building process and symbolize India’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

The government said more than 30 lakh enumerators, supervisors and officials will be involved in conducting the census across the country.

Phase 1, the Houselisting and Housing Census, will take place between April and September 2026, collecting data on housing conditions and amenities. Phase 2, the Population Enumeration, will be conducted in February 2027, gathering demographic, social and economic data. The second phase will also include caste-related questions.

The reference date for the census will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027 for most states and union territories

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