How To Count For The Future

Mar 31, 2026 | 20:43 IST

Census 2027 begins today. It promises a great geospatial upgrade for the Indian state. Its digital mapping of the population, via DigiPin, is intended to achieve rare analytical depth. This should help not just govt, but also researchers, civil society, and entrepreneurs to build more local solutions

The world’s largest census begins today. It will count us, but also map us with a sharper spatial lens than before. Past censuses were not blind to geography. They used location codes and published many statistics at the village, town, or ward level, which have supported planning for decades. Yet, a persistent limitation remained.

We often knew what existed, but not where it sat, not with the precision that modern service delivery increasingly demands. Census 2027, by design, moves closer to that missing layer, by linking field collection to digital maps at a finer operational unit.

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How To Count For The Future

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How To Count For The Future

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