Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah soft launches digital tools and mascots – Pragati (female) and “Vikas” (male) - for Census-2027, in New Delhi

• Census-2027 is India's 16th decennial Census and the first-ever digital Census, with Self-Enumeration offered for the first time.
• Mascots "Pragati" (female) and "Vikas" (male) symbolise equal women–men participation in the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
• Soft-launched by Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah in New Delhi on 5 March 2026.
• For UPSC: maps to Polity, Governance, Society, Statistical System — and the long-pending caste enumeration decision.