Around 40 ​lakh ​opt for ​self-​enumeration in ​first ​digital ​Census ​drive

Lucknow: Nearly 40 lakh households have opted for the self-enumeration process of Census 2027 in UP, the digital feature introduced for the first time in India’s Census exercise. Sharing details of the ongoing process, Sheetal Verma, director of Census operations and director of citizen registration in UP, said the response has been particularly strong in several districts despite apprehensions in urban areas.

Verma said UP had around five crore households during the last Census and the state administration is aiming to ensure complete geographical and population coverage in the upcoming enumeration.

“This is not just a headcount. Census is one of the biggest demographic exercises and it is happening digitally for the first time,” Verma said.

The first phase of Census 2027, known as house listing operations, is being conducted from May 22 to June 20 in UP. Ahead of this, a self-enumeration window was opened from May 7-21, allowing citizens to fill in their household details online before an enumerator visits them physically.

Under the self-enumeration process, residents can answer 34 questions related to housing conditions and basic amenities through an online platform. An 11-digit alphanumeric ID is generated after submission, which can later be verified by enumerators during field visits.

Verma said districts such as Auraiya, Sonbhadra, Moradabad and Pilibhit have shown excellent response to the digital initiative, with nearly half the households in some areas opting for self-enumeration. However, participation has remained comparatively lower in NCR linked urban districts where residents are often unavailable during visits or remain apprehensive about sharing information.

Addressing concerns around privacy and data security, Verma said that Census information is protected under the Census Act and individual level data is never shared, even between govt departments.

“We can provide statistical numbers but not household specific details. Even govt agencies cannot access personal Census information,” she said.

The Census exercise in UP will involve around 5.5 lakh personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, all trained through a multilevel digital training system. ​Data collection will now happen through an offline mobile application, enabling real time processing once synced with central servers.​

The second phase of Census 2027, involving individual population enumeration and caste data collection, is scheduled for Feb 2027.