Ahead of 2027 Census, Telangana records highest jurisdictional changes in country

Hyderabad: Telangana has witnessed the highest number of jurisdictional changes in the country ahead of the 2027 Census, redrawing far more administrative boundaries than it did before the 2011 Census, state director of Census operations Bharati Hollikeri said on Saturday.The sweeping revisions reflect the state's rapid administrative expansion since its formation in 2014, with new districts, sub-districts and urban local bodies significantly reshaping how population and housing will be counted. The changes relate to the boundaries defined by the state govt for administrative units such as districts, villages and urban corporations. While the number of districts and statutory towns has grown sharply, the number of Census towns — settlements that meet urban criteria but lack statutory status — has declined steeply since 2011. States were allowed to inform the Census department of jurisdictional changes for the 2027 Census, with Dec 31, 2025, fixed as the cut-off date. For the purpose of the 2011 Census, Dec 2009 was fixed as the cut-off date for reporting jurisdictional changes.Explaining the process, Hollikeri said, "The Census will have different definitions for towns and villages. Since the trifurcation of the GHMC occurred after the Dec 31 cut-off date, those changes will not be included in the jurisdictional updates. The GHMC will be considered as one entity for the Census 2027." Jurisdictional demarcations form the backbone of Census operations, defining the geographical units used for population and housing enumeration and determining the number of households and individuals in each locality. A jurisdictional change means a change in the administrative boundaries or authority of a government unit such as a district, municipality, village, or police station. In simple terms, it refers to redrawing or reorganising official boundaries that determine which authority governs a particular area. Between 2011 and 2027, Telangana's administrative structure has expanded considerably at higher levels. The number of districts rose from 10 in 2011 to 33 in 2027 (with cut-off date fixed as Dec 31, 2025, any lateral change in number of districts going up will not be considered). Sub-districts increased from 459 to 621, while rural charges went up from 448 to 568. Urban charges saw an even sharper jump, rising from 72 in 2011 to 194 in 2027. At the same time, the number of revenue villages declined from 10,434 to 9,983, a drop of 451. Statutory towns — urban areas with legally recognised local bodies such as municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats — increased dramatically from 42 to 134. In 2011, the state had four municipal corporations, 36 municipalities, one nagar panchayat and one cantonment board. In contrast, Census towns fell sharply from 116 in 2011 to just 29. These are revenue villages that meet urban criteria such as a population of at least 5,000, a density of 400 persons per sq km, and at least 75% of male workers engaged in non-agricultural activities. Urban agglomerations — clusters of a town and adjoining outgrowths or contiguous towns with a minimum population of 20,000 — also declined from 23 to 13.