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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (April 18, 2026 - April 24, 2026) April 24, 2026 4 Analysis I ndia on Thursday started counting its population, the world’s largest at an estimated 1.4 billion people, in a long-overdue census that was delayed for years in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have started surveys across five states and three federal territories in the country, in the first phase of the year-long exercise. But what does it take to count a billion-plus people? Here’s how India is doing it. THE LOGISTICS More than 3 million officials, mostly school teachers, will physically visit every house, knock on every door and count every single person living in the country, across its 36 states and federal territories, down to and including nearly 640,000 villages. There will be two phases of the physical door-to-door surveys. The first will list houses and housing condi- tions, the second will focus on inhabitants and their economic and social parameters. In its entirety, the exercise will take a year and it is expected to cost $1.3 billion. The once-in-a-decade population survey, originally due in 2021, will conclude next March. SELF-ENUMERATION In a first, before the physical survey every region will have a short window for citizens to register themselves online on a government portal that can function in 16 languages. Citizens can record the necessary details on the portal for enumerators to confirm the data during their visit and include it in the original database. DIGITAL TOOLS In another first, India will conduct this census through a mobile app, along with the self-enumeration option. There’s also a web-based portal to manage and monitor the process. In addition, New Delhi has deployed an applica- tion to map the nation’s households by dividing them into small geographic areas with a limited number of houses, a task critical to ensuring no one is missed and the survey is accurate. Many datasets from the census will be released quickly as the digital database is expected to reduce processing time. CASTE COUNT The census will also collect details of castes in its sec- ond phase. India recorded its castes in 2011 for the first time in 80 years, but the data was not fully publicised amid concerns about its accuracy. The rigid social stratification system dates back thou- sands of years and pervades Indian life and politics. There are scores of caste-based political parties, and many state institutions must offer affirmative action quotas to the so-called lower castes for employment and college places. -Reuters By Shivangi Acharya Factbox-What Does It Take To Count 1.4 Billion People: India Has The Answer PHOTO:REUTERS/NIHARIKA KULKARNI/FILE PHOTO Commuters travel in a crowded compartment of a suburban train in Mumbai, India, January 20, 2023. US Affairs Trump And Modi Stress Need To Keep Strait Of Hormuz Open In Call U .S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure in a call on Tuesday, Modi said in a post on X. The call between the two leaders lasted nearly 40 minutes, Indian media, which first reported the call, said. “Received a call frommy friend President Donald Trump. We reviewed the substantial progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation in various sectors,” Modi said on X. “We are committed to further strengthening our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partner- ship in all areas. We also discussed the situa- tion inWest Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.” The conflict in the Middle East has disrupt- ed sectors from air travel to shipping and gas supplies, including by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a conduit for 40% of India’s crude oil imports. AWhite House official confirmed the call took place but did not comment further. - Reuters PHOTO:REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE/FILE PHOTO U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. Iran Says Strait Of Hormuz To Reopen Amid Push To End War I ran announced Friday that it would open the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passageway for oil supplies that has been a central point of contention in efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. “The passage for all commercial ves- sels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an X post. President Donald Trump posted to social media moments later. “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!” Trump said in a Truth Social post. Araghchi said that shipping traffic could resume “on the coordinated route as already announced” by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization. It’s unclear whether this means that vessels will need to pay a toll for using the strait. Iran expanded its control of the Strait of Hormuz over the course of the war with the United States. Tehran had pushed to formalize that control during negotiations for a peace deal, and the issue was one of the central sticking points when U.S. and Iranian negotiators met face-to-face in Islamabad this past weekend. In response to the news, the price of oil quickly plummeted by more than 10 percent, to under $89 per barrel. - TheWashington Post By Susannah George