MHA plans Census 2027 tableau for Republic Day parade as part of nationwide awareness drive

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) plans to propose a tableau showcasing Census 2027 for next year's Republic Day parade as part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about the country's upcoming census exercise. The proposal, outlined in a circular issued by Registrar General of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, will require approval from the Ministry of Defence, which oversees the selection of tableaux for the January 26 celebrations.

The proposal forms part of a broader publicity strategy for the second phase of Census 2027, aimed at informing people about the exercise and encouraging participation. In a circular issued last week, the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI) outlined a multi-tier outreach plan involving the central government, state administrations and directorates of census operations (DCOs).

A government official said the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path, which attracts millions of viewers, would provide a major platform to publicise the census and address concerns surrounding the exercise.

“Having a Census 2027 tableau is part of a wider publicity strategy prepared by the office of RGI (ORGI). Millions of people watch the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path, and there is no better occasion to publicise the Census 2027 exercise. Not only will it create awareness at the national level, but it will also help address any concerns,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

The official added that the tableau would be particularly important for generating awareness in states and Union territories where the exercise is scheduled to take place from February.

Nationwide advertising and local outreach planned

Under the publicity strategy, the RGI's office will launch nationwide advertising campaigns through the Central Bureau of Communication. These will include newspaper advertisements, television spots, digital cinema advertisements, audio announcements at airports and railway stations, and video guides explaining the self-enumeration process.

The campaign will also extend to state and district levels, with census officials asked to organise activities tailored to local communities. Proposed initiatives include competitions in schools and colleges, rallies, marathons and performances by folk artists.

Government offices, hospitals, bus terminals and railway stations will also be used to disseminate information. Local officials have been asked to arrange wall paintings in regional languages, make announcements through municipal waste-collection vehicles and distribute census-related information through stickers carrying enumeration dates on household LPG cylinders and utility bills.

The RGI has also proposed issuing a commemorative postage stamp for Census 2027 in Delhi as part of the awareness campaign.

Social media monitoring to counter misinformation

The publicity plan includes round-the-clock monitoring of online discussions surrounding the census. The RGI has directed officials to establish 24/7 social media monitoring cells to identify adverse comments, false narratives and local misinterpretations of the exercise.

The circular states that the cells should track digital narratives continuously so that official responses and fact-checks can be published in real time through state and Union territory administrations.

The monitoring mechanism is intended to help authorities respond quickly to misinformation and clarify doubts as the census approaches its second phase.

Census 2027 to include 40 questions, caste enumeration

The MHA has notified 40 questions that households will be required to answer during the census, 11 more than the 29 questions asked in 2011. The questionnaire seeks information on parental and employment details, along with personal information such as passport, Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence and mobile numbers.

A significant feature of Census 2027 will be the inclusion of an open-ended question on caste. While previous censuses systematically enumerated Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), the upcoming exercise will record caste details through an open-ended response.

Question 10 asks respondents to state their caste without choosing from a predefined list. Enumerators will be required to record the answers as given rather than match them against an existing list.

The census will be conducted in two phases. The first, covering house-listing operations and housing conditions, assets and amenities available to households, was completed earlier this year. A second-phase exercise was conducted in August in Ladakh and the snow-bound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

For Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the second phase is scheduled from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027. In the rest of the country, population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027.

Census delayed from 2021, results may take years

Originally scheduled for 2021, the census was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collection is targeted to conclude by March 1, 2027, although officials expect the compilation and publication of the results to take another two to three years.

The exercise is expected to provide updated demographic information on the country and could formally establish India's position as the world's most populous nation.

Census 2027 will be India's first census to be conducted digitally, with enumerators collecting and submitting information through mobile applications. The exercise will also provide an online self-enumeration option, allowing households to submit their details digitally.

The extensive publicity campaign, including the proposed Republic Day tableau, is intended to familiarise citizens with the process, encourage participation and address concerns before the nationwide enumeration begins.