Content

1. Cabinet approves scheme of Conduct of Census of India 2027
2. A Sprinting Revival: The Return of the Cheetah

Cabinet approves scheme of Conduct of Census of India 2027

Why is this in news?

• Union Cabinet approved the Census of India 2027 with a financial outlay of ₹11,718.24 crore (PIB, 12 Dec 2025).
• First fully digital census and first to include nationwide caste enumeration (as per decision of 30 April 2025).
• Census delayed from 2021 due to COVID; 2027 becomes India’s 16th Census and 8th after Independence.

Relevance

GS-I: Indian Society

• Caste enumeration enables updated understanding of social stratification, inequalities, and demographic changes.
• Migration, literacy, fertility, and religious composition data help assess population dynamics and their impact on society.
• Urbanisation and housing data reflect changing social patterns, amenities, and living conditions.

GS-II: Governance, Constitution & Social Justice

• Census Act, 1948 → Statutory basis of data governance.
• Strengthens evidence-based policymaking in health, education, welfare, federal transfers, reservations, and targeted schemes.
• Enhances cooperative federalism through Centre–State execution, digital monitoring, and training.
• Real-time digital census contributes to transparency, accountability, and administrative efficiency.

What is the census?

• World’s largest administrative and statistical exercise.
• Legal basis: Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990.
• Provides granular, village/ward-level data on:
  • Housing, amenities, assets
  • Demography, religion
  • SC/ST population
  • Language, literacy, education
  • Migration, economic activity
  • Fertility indicators

Structure of census 2027

Two phases

• Houselisting & housing census: April–September 2026
• Population enumeration: February 2027
• Exception: Ladakh, snow-bound J&K, HP, Uttarakhand → September 2026

Scale

• 30 lakh field functionaries deployed nationwide.
• 1.02 crore man-days of employment generated.

Key features and new digital initiatives

• Digital-first census: Data collected using mobile apps (Android & iOS).
• Self-enumeration option: Citizens can submit their own data online.
• CMMS portal: Real-time, nationwide monitoring of enumerators and progress.
• HLB Creator web mapping: Geospatial mapping of every houselisting block.
• Census-as-a-service (CaaS): Clean, machine-readable datasets for ministries.
• Enhanced security protocols: Encryption, authentication, secured digital storage.
• Caste enumeration: Integrated into the population enumeration questionnaire.
• Nationwide publicity campaign: Awareness, inclusive participation, last-mile reach.

Benefits and governance significance

• Higher quality & faster data: Digital capture reduces errors and improves speed.
• Micro-level targeting: Enables accurate beneficiary identification and resource allocation.
• Support for SDGs: Better planning in health, education, sanitation, gender indicators.
• Skill development: 18,600 technical personnel trained in GIS, data systems.
• Improved public access: Data dissemination with dashboards and visualisation tools.

Administrative process and implementation

• Census work conducted by government teachers as enumerators, supervised by a multi-tier structure (district → charge officers → supervisors).
• Two detailed questionnaires used:
  • Houselisting & housing schedule
  • Population enumeration schedule (includes caste details)
• State governments appoint most field staff; Centre coordinates design and training.

Macro significance

• Strengthening digital state capacity: Comparable to Aadhaar and UPI in scale.
• Evidence-based policymaking: Caste + socio-economic data enables redesign of welfare architecture.
• Cooperative federalism: Requires close Centre–State coordination for staff and real-time reporting.
• Privacy & data sovereignty debates: Digital census raises issues of consent, encryption, access control.
• Implications of delay: Policies like delimitation, poverty estimates, population projections were operating on 2011 data; 2027 data will reset baselines.

A Sprinting Revival: The Return of the Cheetah

Why is this in news?

• India has reported a revived cheetah population of 30 individuals (12 adults, 9 sub-adults, 9 cubs) as of December 2025.
• Marks the completion of the world’s first inter-continental translocation of a large carnivore, with 20 cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa (2022–23).
• Birth of second-generation cheetahs in 2025 (Mukhi’s litter of five cubs) signifies ecological success.
• India is on track to establish a self-sustaining metapopulation of 60–70 cheetahs across 17,000 km² by 2032, with Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary prepared for the next phase.
• Over 450 Cheetah Mitras, 380 jobs, and 5% eco-tourism revenue are already benefiting local communities.

Relevance:

GS-III: Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity

• Species reintroduction programme aligned with IUCN translocation guidelines.
• Restores a keystone/umbrella species → improves ecological health of grassland & scrub ecosystems.
• Contributes to SDG-15 (Life on Land) and CBD commitments.
• Demonstrates success in metapopulation planning, habitat restoration, prey base augmentation.
• Use of tech such as GPS collars, GIS mapping, distance sampling → scientific wildlife management.
• Community involvement (Cheetah Mitras, eco-tourism revenue) reflects inclusive conservation.
• Addresses challenges: human–wildlife conflict, carrying capacity, mortality reduction, genetic viability.

What is Project Cheetah?

• India’s official programme to reintroduce the cheetah, declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Led by MoEFCC and NTCA, launched on 17 September 2022 when the PM released the first 8 cheetahs in Kuno NP.
• Based on the 2013 Action Plan, updated in 2022, and implemented as per Supreme Court directions permitting experimental reintroduction.
• Aligns with CBD mandates and SDG-15 (Life on Land).
• Uses cheetah as a flagship species to restore India’s grasslands and savanna ecosystems.

Historical context: extinction to revival

• Cheetahs historically ranged across Punjab to Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to Bengal, occupying scrublands, savannas, and semi-arid habitats.
• Last confirmed sighting: 1947 in Koriya district (present-day Chhattisgarh).
• Declared extinct in 1952 due to:
  • Over-hunting and coursing
  • Habitat loss from agriculture
  • Decline of prey base
  • Genetic limitations and low reproduction
• Kuno NP chosen after relocation of 24 villages (1,545 families), creating 6,258 ha of inviolate habitat.
• Prepared under guidelines of NTCA, WII, and IUCN.

Key milestones 

• Sept 2022: First 8 cheetahs from Namibia released by PM.
• Feb 2023: 12 cheetahs from South Africa arrive under bilateral MoU.
• 2023–24: First births in India in 70 years; multiple litters follow.
• Nov 2025: Botswana gifts 8 more cheetahs; Mukhi (India-born) gives birth to 5 cubs.
• 2024–25: Phase-wise open releases, expansion beyond Kuno.

Objectives and strategic framework

• Establish a metapopulation of 60–70 cheetahs in the 17,000 km² Kuno–Gandhi Sagar landscape.
• Restore grassland and semi-arid ecosystems, improving prey availability and ecological functioning.
• Treat the cheetah as an umbrella species for savanna conservation.
• Maintain 5% annual population growth toward long-term viability.

Phased ecological strategy

• Start with 12–14 genetically diverse founder animals; supplement as needed.
• Expand from Kuno’s 748 km² core to 3,200 km² landscape.
• Link with Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary (368 km²) and wider 2,500 km² potential habitat.
• Monitoring tools:
  • GPS collars
  • Camera traps
  • Distance sampling (734–816 km transects)

Budgeting

• Phase-1 budget: ₹39 crore, integrated into CSS–Project Tiger, plus additional funds for prey augmentation and infrastructure.

Population status

• 30 cheetahs as of Dec 2025:
  • 11 founder animals
  • 19 India-born individuals
• Presence of second-generation births (e.g., Mukhi’s cubs) confirms successful adaptation.

Community and livelihood impact

• 450+ Cheetah Mitras trained across 80 villages.
• Employment creation:
  • 80 local trackers
  • 200 protection staff (“Suraksha Shramik”)
  • Youth trained as safari guides
• Eco-development works in 100+ villages: roads, water structures, sanitation.
• 5% eco-tourism revenue shared with local communities.
• Model aligns with UNEP–CBD community-led conservation principles.

International collaboration

• Formal MoUs with Namibia (2022) and South Africa (2023) for translocation, training, and joint management.
• Expertise exchange in:
  • Carnivore capture and transport
  • Quarantine and boma design
  • Radio-collaring and post-release protocols
• Project documented internationally as a case study in rewilding.
• India’s leadership reinforced through the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA):
  • Global platform for seven big cat species
  • ₹150 crore support up to 2027–28
  • Strengthens research, technology transfer, and multilateral cooperation

Why ecological scientists consider Project Cheetah a success ?

• Early reproduction indicates stress-free habitat adaptation.
• Adequate prey base and stable social behaviour observed.
• Minimal mortality relative to global relocation benchmarks.
• Clear evidence of site fidelity, territory formation, and sustained breeding cycles.
• Foundation laid for long-term genetic and demographic stability.

Challenges and critical evaluation

• Ensuring prey augmentation to sustain carrying capacity.
• Managing human–wildlife interface as populations expand beyond core zones.
• Addressing collar-related injury risks and refining monitoring tech.
• Diversifying habitats beyond Kuno to avoid overcrowding and inbreeding.
• Maintaining political and financial commitment over decades.

Significance for India and global conservation

• Restores an extinct species after 70+ years, a rare global achievement.
• Revives neglected grassland ecosystems, often overshadowed by forest-centric conservation.
• Positions India as a leader in rewilding science and large carnivore diplomacy.
• Enhances India’s environmental soft power through IBCA and CBD frameworks.
• Provides a replicable model for transboundary species recovery.

Conclusion

Project Cheetah marks a turning point in India’s ecological narrative—an experiment that has matured into a scientifically validated, community-inclusive revival of a lost species. With breeding success, metapopulation planning, and global partnerships, India has transformed an extinct echo into a living, thriving presence. The cheetah’s sprinting revival is not just a conservation milestone—it is a statement of national commitment to biodiversity stewardship.