India, March 6 -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft-launched four digital tools and formally unveiled the mascots, Pragati and Vikas, for census 2027. "The mascots symbolise equal participation of women and men in fulfilling the resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047. Through these mascots, information, objectives and key messages related to Census-2027 will be disseminated in an effective and citizen-friendly manner across diverse sections of society," a Government statement read.

The 16th census will also include caste enumeration. The first phase of one of the largest administrative exercises in the world, the Census of India 2027, will start on April 1, 2026. The entire exercise is expected to cost '11,718 cror...