Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday reviewed the preparation for the forthcoming Census with the Union Home Secretary, RG&CCI and other senior officials in New Delhi. 

As per a Ministry of Home Affairs statement, the notification to conduct the Census will be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025.

“Reviewed the preparations for the 16th Census with senior officials. Tomorrow, the gazette notification of the census will be issued. The census will include caste enumeration for the first time. As many as 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh census functionaries will conduct the operation with cutting-edge mobile digital gadgets,” Shah said on X.

The Census will be conducted in two phases. In the first stage, known as the Housing Listing Operation (HLO), information regarding housing conditions, assets, and amenities for each household will be gathered. In the second stage, referred to as Population Enumeration (PE), demographic, socio-economic, cultural, and other relevant details about every individual in each household will be collected. Caste enumeration will also be a part of this Census, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs statement.

Approximately 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with about 1.3 lakh Census officials, will be deployed for the Census activities. This will be the 16th Census conducted since its inception and the eighth since India gained independence. 

The upcoming Census will be conducted through digital methods through mobile applications. Additionally, self-enumeration options will be available for the public, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs statement.

Robust data security measures will be implemented to ensure the safety of data during collection, transmission, and storage.