India, June 4 -- India will finally start its new census from March 2027, the ministry of home affairs announced on June 4. The announcement puts the reference date at March 1, 2027, except for high-altitude hilly areas where the reference date is October 1, 2026. To be sure, one has to wait for the detailed gazette notification to ascertain whether these reference dates are for population enumeration or house-listing. The latter has traditionally preceded the former by a few months in the conduct of the census in India.

The census is being conducted with a delay of six years. While the government has always maintained, including in the latest press release, that the delay was on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, the claim does not pass ...