Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 133rd episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat broadcast today, highlighted significant progress in the ongoing Census 2027 house listing phase. He stated that in states where self-enumeration has been completed, census staff have begun house listing operations, with work already finished for around 12 million families. The episode aired on April 26, 2026, at 11 AM across All India Radio and Doordarshan.
PM Modi emphasized that the Census of India is not merely a government task but a shared responsibility requiring participation from every citizen. He urged the public to actively contribute, assuring them that all provided information remains completely safe and confidential, protected by robust digital security measures. This marks the first fully digital census in India’s history, empowering citizens to self-enumerate household details online.
The Prime Minister called for collective effort to ensure the success of Census 2027, described as the world’s largest census exercise. House listing and housing census, Phase 1, commenced on April 1, 2026, in select states and union territories, following self-enumeration windows. Over 12 lakh households utilized the self-enumeration facility in the initial 15 days, transitioning now to field operations by enumerators.
Census 2027 follows years of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the full schedule spanning April to September 2026 for house listing, and population enumeration set for February 2027. Administrative units were frozen from January 1, 2026, to ensure data accuracy. PM Modi’s address aligns with recent reports confirming over 12 lakh households’ self-enumeration success before field staff took over.
In the programme, Modi began by noting India’s scientific advancements but pivoted to census participation as a national duty. He referenced the digital platform’s security to build trust, encouraging timely data submission for effective planning in welfare schemes, infrastructure, and policy-making. The census includes 33 questions in the house listing schedule, covering housing conditions and assets.
Mann Ki Baat’s 133rd edition also touched on dairy industry growth, diverse cheese production from yak and camel milk, and tributes to Rabindranath Tagore ahead of his birth anniversary, alongside remembrances of 1857 revolt heroes. PM Modi advised children to use upcoming holidays for learning new skills. The broadcast underscores government efforts to modernize data collection amid the census’s massive scale.
Official sources confirm the episode’s focus on census cooperation, with PM Modi exemplifying participation by completing his own self-enumeration earlier. Listeners can access the full webcast on pmindia.gov.in. Further phases will roll out state-wise through September 2026.