The Ministry of Home Affairs Wednesday notified the commencement of house-listing operations for the Census of India 2027, to be conducted between April 1 and September 30, 2026, across all States/UTs, kick-starting preparations for the 16th Census, the first in 16 years. Each state and UT will carry out the exercise during a 30-day window within this period, according to the notification by the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI). In a significant departure from previous censuses, the notification also formally provides for self-enumeration, available for a 15-day period immediately preceding the house-to-house house-listing, allowing households to submit details digitally before an enumerator visits them. The notification, issued under Sections 3 and 17A of the Census Act, 1948, supersedes an earlier January 2020 notification that had set the stage for the 2021 Census, which was deferred due to the pandemic. As previously outlined by the government, the Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases — the House-listing and Housing Census in 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in early 2027. The reference date …