Census 2027: Phase 1 pre-test to be held in 3 taluks in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Gearing up for the massive 2027 Census exercise, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to conduct a pre-test for the first phase of the Census in three taluks in the State between November 1 and November 7. Two of them are in rural areas, while one is an urban municipality near Chennai.

The Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in consultation with the State government, has selected Anchetty taluk in Krishnagiri district (rural), part of RK Pet taluk in Tiruvallur district (rural), and Mangadu municipality in Kancheepuram district (urban) for the pre-test.

The Union government had earlier announced that the Census would be conducted during the year 2027.

The pre-test serves as a crucial preparatory exercise before each decennial Census, aimed at evaluating the proposed concepts, procedures, questionnaires, and digital tools for the main Census work. The insights gained would help resolve potential operational challenges ahead of the full-scale Census 2027, which will be India’s first fully digital Census, said a statement.

For the first time, data collection will be done through mobile applications, and Digital Layout Maps will be created. The operations will be managed and monitored in real time through the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal, a web-based digital supervision platform.

The Census is conducted in two phases - houselisting and housing schedule (HLO) and population enumeration — between April 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027.

It may be noted that this will be the first Census to enumerate caste since independence.