As India embraces a digital census in 2027, the Population Foundation of India highlights the critical need for inclusivity, data security, and accurate representation of all populations, especially marginalised groups.
Population Foundation of India on Thursday welcomed digitisation of the Census but said the care should be taken to include people without phone access.
The NGO working in the field of population dynamics called for an inclusive and secure approach to the country's first digital Census, saying it must be designed with accuracy and equity at its core.
The first phase of the country's 16th Census began on April 1 in Delhi and some states.
The organisation welcomed the rollout of the first phase of Census 2027.
"Digitisation is a welcome step, but a digital-first approach cannot assume universal access," said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, Population Foundation of India.
"Self-enumeration depends on mobile access, connectivity, and digital literacy. If not designed carefully, it risks excluding those already on the margins -- Â migrants, the urban poor, women without phone access, and the elderly," she said.
Muttreja said the country is trying to govern a 2026-27 reality using 2011 data. "That's a 15-year blind spot in a fast-changing country," she said, adding that the resumption of the Census was long overdue and would help improve planning, welfare delivery and inclusion.
The organisation said India has witnessed major demographic changes over the past decade, including migration, rapid urbanisation, declining fertility in several states and an ageing population.
It also stressed the need to safeguard data privacy and security in a fully digital Census.
"Concerns around data security, cybersecurity threats, and the protection of sensitive data such as caste must be addressed proactively," Muttreja said.
"Building public trust will be key to ensuring full and accurate participation," she added.
The organisation said a gender lens was necessary as women's unpaid work, informal labour and migration patterns often remain under-reported. "In many households, who fills the form matters," Muttreja said.
"Without safeguards, women's work and contributions may continue to remain invisible, especially in a self-enumeration model," she said.
Population Foundation of India said the success of Census 2027 would depend on a strong hybrid model combining digital systems with robust on-ground enumeration. "This is not just a technical exercise -- it is a democratic one," Muttreja said.
"As India moves to a digital Census, the priority must be accuracy, inclusion, and equity. Not speed alone," she added.