# 2027 census set to miss millions of disabled Indians, say activists 2026-08-25T02:54:42+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet India's 2027 Census will continue to exclude accurate data on disabled citizens unless the government revises its enumeration process, disability rights activists have told The Indian Express. The current draft schedule does not include questions that capture hidden disabilities such as mental illness or speech impairment, and enumerators are not being trained to ask the right follow-up questions. The 2011 Census counted only 2.68 crore disabled people, a figure activists say is a vast undercount. The Census authorities have not consulted the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) while designing the 2027 questionnaire. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, mandates that disability data be used to allocate funds for schemes and infrastructure. The next deadline for the Union Cabinet to approve the census questionnaire is early 2026, leaving a window to revise the format. ## Indian Opinion Analysis India last conducted a full disability census in 2011 under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, and the 2011 count of 2.68 crore disabled persons was widely regarded as a severe undercount because enumerators were not trained to ask sensitive questions. The Census of India is governed by the Census Act, 1948, which gives the Registrar General sole authority over questions and training manuals. Disability rights groups, including the National Disability Network, have repeatedly asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to involve the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in drafting the schedule for 2027. The current enumeration manual does not train enumerators on how to ask about hidden disabilities, which would likely leave millions unrecorded again. ## Coverage - indianexpress.com Op-ed leading with government failure to include disability questions This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Census of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, Union Cabinet Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/2027-census-set-to-miss-millions-of-disabled-indians-say-activists/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/2027-census-set-to-miss-millions-of-disabled-indians-say-activists/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/