Census data confidential, cannot be used for schemes or RTI: Registrar General

New Delhi, March 30: Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner has assured that all individual data collected during the upcoming 2027 Census will remain strictly confidential and cannot be used as evidence or to claim benefits under any government scheme.

Addressing a press conference on Monday ahead of the first phase of the country’s 16th Census, Registrar General Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said the exercise is set to begin in April in select states.

Emphasising data privacy, he said that under Section 15 of the Census Act, individual responses are protected.

“All the individual data collected during the exercise remains confidential. It cannot be shared under the Right to Information Act, used as evidence in a court, or shared with any organisation, be it government or private,” he said, adding that only aggregated statistical data would be used for analysis and tabulation.

On concerns regarding caste data, Narayan said such information would be collected during the second phase of the Census, with the questionnaire to be finalised after detailed consultations.

He dismissed apprehensions about misuse of data, noting that individual responses cannot be used to derive benefits under any scheme.

In a significant shift, the commissioner also announced the introduction of self-enumeration for the first time, allowing citizens to digitally submit their details during a 15-day window prior to the houselisting phase, as notified by states and Union Territories.

“Earlier, data was collected on physical paper, which delayed digitisation. Now, we will receive digital data from the start, enabling faster processing. Several datasets are expected to be published as early as 2027,” he said.

Narayan clarified that self-enumeration would be available only to residents within India and not to those living abroad. He also stated that no documents would be required from individuals during the Census process.

The exercise will be conducted using a mobile application, supported by a web-based portal for monitoring and management, while block mapping will be carried out through a dedicated web-mapping system.

Highlighting security measures, Narayan said Census data centres have been designated as Critical Information Infrastructure to ensure data protection.

He further clarified that no decision has been taken on updating the National Population Register (NPR) and said it is unrelated to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise.

PTI