NEW DELHI: Highlighting the need for a robust and reliable database of persons with disabilities (PwDs) that is in keeping with the 2016 law that recognises 21 categories of disabilities, a parliamentary panel has recommended that the govt impress upon the Registrar General of India (RGI) the need to ensure in Census 2027 accurate and comprehensive enumeration of all categories of disabilities, particularly those which may not be visible or have physical symptoms.The Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, in a report presented in Parliament in March, noted that the presently available estimates of PwDs in the country are based on the Census of 2011, which had recorded the number at 2.68 crore. While the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 was operational then, it mentioned only seven disabilities.The committee chaired by BJP’s Lok Sabha MP PC Mohan further noted the submission made by representatives of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) that while around 1.35 crore Unique Disability Identity (UDID) cards have been issued so far, the department has requested RGI to take into account all 21 categories of disabilities recognised under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, during Census 2027. DEPwD officials also told the committee that they had requested RGI to consult the department on the issue so that figures in the Census turn out to be reliable.In the report on ‘Demands for Grants for the year 2026-27’ pertaining to Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (DEPwD), the committee emphasised “that a robust and reliable database, supplemented by the UDID framework, would greatly assist in evidence-based policy formulation and more effective targeting of welfare schemes for persons with disabilities.”These recommendations gain significance as Census 2027, to be conducted over two phases, is being rolled out on April 1, with houselisting operations (HLO) to be conducted from April 1 to Sept 30 this year. This will be followed by population enumeration in Feb 2027 during which PwDs will also be covered. The questionnaires for enumeration of PwDs are expected to be finalised closer to the end of first phase of Census in Sept.