Andaman And Nicobar Prepares For Census 2027, Considers Thermal Survey For Sentinelese Tribe

The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has initiated preparations for the Census 2027, with authorities exploring options to count the Sentinelese, one of the world’s last pre-Neolithic tribes, without direct contact, PTI reported.

According to a senior official from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, one of the options under consideration is a “non-invasive thermal census” to estimate the population of the isolated tribe.

“The Sentinelese tribe lives on North Sentinel Island, and they have been isolated for thousands of years. Since the Census will begin, we are also chalking out various ways to do the Census of the Sentinelese. One way of doing it is thermal Census. We have not yet come out with the final SOPs, but soon it will be chalked out,” the official said.

The North Sentinel Island and its surrounding buffer zone are strictly protected under the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes (Regulation) Act, 1956, and relevant provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The Sentinelese are classified as a Scheduled Tribe (ST), and are known to resist any outside intrusion, often using bows and arrows. They are believed to have inhabited the Andaman Islands for up to 55,000 years and are considered direct descendants of the first human populations to migrate from Africa, PTI reported.

The tribe gained international attention in November 2018 when American tourist John Allen Chau was killed after visiting the island illegally.

According to PTI, the first meeting of the Union Territory-level Census Coordination Committee was held on 29 August under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar. Director of Census Operations, Purva Garg, presented the tentative Census calendar, progress of preparatory work, and innovations planned for the 2027 exercise.

Garg informed the committee that the Census will be conducted digitally in two phases: house listing and housing census (HLO), followed by population enumeration (PE). She also noted that a pre-test of the house listing and housing census is scheduled for October–November 2025 in selected areas across all three districts of the Union Territory.

The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of ensuring accurate enumeration in tribal areas to maintain inclusivity, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)