Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Completes Digital Self-Enumeration as Census 2027 First Phase Begins in Phases

Census 2027 First Phase Begins: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla completed his digital self-enumeration for Census 2027 at his official residence in New Delhi on April 3, 2026, becoming one of the most visible constitutional office-bearers to publicly participate in India’s first fully digital census. The Lok Sabha Secretariat, through PIB, said his participation marked an important step in the first phase of Census 2027.

At the same time, the official census rollout needs a precise explanation: Phase I has begun, but not as a uniform nationwide door-to-door exercise from day one. 

Om Birla’s self-enumeration has been officially publicised

PIB’s April 3 release from the Lok Sabha Secretariat said Om Birla completed his self-enumeration online and described Census 2027 as a “landmark” exercise. The release added that he encouraged citizens to participate proactively and accurately, and quoted him as saying the digital, self-enumeration-enabled census was beginning “a new era.” Newsonair also reported the same development in Hindi, confirming that Birla completed the self-enumeration registration for Census 2027. 

This matters because public participation by figures such as the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Vice President, and the Prime Minister helps the government normalize and publicize the digital mode of enumeration. PIB separately reported on April 1 that Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan filled the self-enumeration form online, and Newsonair reported on April 2 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed his self-enumeration as well. 

Also Read: India Launches Its First Fully Digital Census 2027, but the First-Phase Rollout Begins in Stages

The census has begun, but the “nationwide” wording needs care

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner’s March 30 briefing, carried by PIB, said Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases and that the first phase begins from April 1, 2026. It also made clear that the first phase runs from April to September 2026 in different 30-day state- or UT-specific windows. That means the process has started nationally in legal and administrative terms, but not as a single same-day door-to-door operation across all of India. 

The official schedule says self-enumeration from April 1 to April 15 applies first to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, NDMC and Delhi Cantonment Board, Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha and Sikkim, while house listing in those places begins on April 16. Other states and UTs enter later windows. So the most accurate phrasing is that the first phase has officially commenced, while the field rollout is phased rather than simultaneous. 

Why Om Birla’s participation matters symbolically

When the Speaker of the Lok Sabha publicly participates in a national administrative exercise, it gives the event added institutional weight. In this case, the symbolism is especially strong because Census 2027 is being promoted as India’s first fully digital census and one of the largest technology-led governance exercises in the country’s history.

Birla’s participation reinforces the message that the self-enumeration option is not peripheral. It is a central feature of the new census model. This is an inference, but it is strongly supported by the official framing in the PIB release and the census briefing. 

The same PIB release said the Speaker highlighted the need for citizens to furnish accurate information. That is important because the value of the census depends not only on digital systems or official participation, but on truthful and complete public response. 

Census 2027 marks a major administrative shift

The March 30 PIB briefing said that for the first time the census will be conducted digitally and that, again for the first time, self-enumeration will be available. Enumerators will use mobile applications, while citizens can also submit information online through a secure portal in 16 languages. The government is positioning this as a major modernization of census operations. 

That shift is not small. A digital census has the potential to improve speed, reduce manual processing delays, and strengthen monitoring. But it also places more weight on public trust, digital usability and accuracy of input. This is one reason the government appears eager to showcase participation by prominent public figures such as the Speaker, Vice President and Prime Minister. 

Phase I is about homes and amenities, not full population profiling

PIB’s national briefing says the first phase is the House Listing and Housing Census. It is meant to collect data on the condition of houses, amenities available to households, and assets possessed by them. The later second phase, scheduled for February 2027 in most of India, will gather fuller demographic, socio-economic and other individual-level information. 

This distinction matters because many people hear “census” and assume every household is being fully counted in one uniform exercise right now. In reality, Phase I is focused on housing and household infrastructure. Birla’s self-enumeration therefore aligns with the opening of this housing-related first phase, not the later all-India population enumeration stage. 

A truthful count is part of responsible nation-building

A census is not only a statistical exercise. It is also a national act of truthful accounting. That idea connects naturally with the teachings of Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj, which emphasize honesty, duty and responsible conduct in everyday life. A nation can plan better only when its people participate truthfully, and governance becomes stronger when public information is given with sincerity rather than carelessness.

Call to Action

Citizens should not assume that a digital census headline means enumerators are arriving everywhere immediately. They should check their state or UT schedule, use self-enumeration where available, and provide accurate information when their turn comes. The stronger the quality of participation in this first digital census, the more useful the data will be for planning housing, infrastructure and public services. 

FAQs: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Completes Digital Self-Enumeration as Census 2027 First Phase Begins