India, April 6 -- India's long-delayed census is finally back on track, with house-listing operations beginning this month. The data collected during this phase will be used to plan the population enumeration exercise next year. The new census figures will help us understand the India of 2027.

It would tell us what proportion of the country is urban, what proportion remains rural, and how literacy rates and gender ratios vary across states, districts, cities, and villages.

Yet, for all its richness, the Indian census remains an under-utilised resource. In most large economies, both censuses and surveys are run by the respective national statistical offices (NSOs). This allows census-takers and surveyors to learn from each other, and sha...