New Delhi: Highlighting the need for a robust and reliable database of persons with disabilities (PWDs) that is in line with the 2016 law that recognizes 21 categories of disability, a parliamentary panel has recommended that the government emphasize to the Registrar General of India (RGI) the need to ensure accurate and comprehensive enumeration of all categories of disability in Census 2027, especially those that may not be visible or may not have physical symptoms.In a report tabled in Parliament in March, the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment said the currently available estimate of PwD in the country is based on the 2011 census, which recorded the number at 2.68 crore. While the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 was then in force, it mentioned only seven disabilities.The committee, headed by BJP Lok Sabha MP PC Mohan, also took note of the submission made by representatives of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD) that around 1.35 crore Unique Disability Identification (UDID) cards have been issued so far, the department requested the RGI to take into account all the 21 categories of disability recognized under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, during Census 2027 Is. DEPWD officials also told the committee that they had requested the RGI to consult the department on this issue so that the census data could be reliable.In the report on ‘Demands for Grants for the year 2026-27’ relating to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (DEPWD), the Committee emphasized that “a robust and reliable database, complemented by the UDID framework, will significantly assist in evidence-based policy making and more effective targeting of welfare schemes for persons with disabilities.”These recommendations assume significance as Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases, starting on April 1, with the Houselisting Operation (HLO) being conducted from April 1 to September 30 this year. After this, population census will be conducted in February 2027, in which disabled people will also be included. It is expected that the questionnaires for enumeration of persons with disabilities will be finalized by the end of the first phase of the census in September.