Census 2027: Headcount to begin from April; to be held in two phases - all you need to know about exercise

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday allocated Rs 11,718.24 crore for conducting the Census of India in 2027 -- the largest headcount in the world.During a press conference after the meeting of the Union cabinet, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Census will be conducted in two parts --housing enlisting and population enumeration."Census 2027 will be the first-ever digital census. The digital design of the census has been made keeping in mind data protection," Vaisnaw said.Vaishnaw said that the enumeration will include social status and Caste census. During the process, the government will field about 30 lakh functionaries.The Census process involves visiting each and every household and canvassing separate questionnaire for Houselisting & Housing Census and Population Enumeration.The enumerators, generally government teachers and appointed by the state governments, will be doing the field work of the Census in addition to their regular duties. The field functionaries includes enumerators, supervisors, master trainers, charge officers and principal/ district census officers.All the Census functionaries will be paid suitable honorarium for the work of Census as they will be doing this work in addition to their regular duties.According to a statement by the government, the current endeavor would be to make available the coming Census data in the shortest possible time across the country."First Census by digital means in country. Data will be collected using mobile applications that will be available for both Android as well as iOS versions. A dedicated portal namely Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal has been developed for managing and monitoring the entire Census process on a real time basis. Houselisting Block (HLB) Creator web map application: Another innovation for Census 2027 is HLB Creator web map application to be used by the Charge Officers," the release said."An option to self-enumerate will be provided to the public. Suitable security features have been provisioned for this mammoth digital operation," it added."Efforts will also be made to disseminate Census Results with more customized visualization tools. Data sharing to all, up to the lowest Administrative Unit i.e. Village/Ward level."The release said the provision of technical manpower at Charge/ District/ State level will also result in capacity building as the nature of job will be related to digital data handling, monitoring and coordination. "This will also help in future employment prospects of these persons."Census is the biggest source of primary data at village, town and ward level providing micro level data on various parameters including Housing Condition; Amenities & Assets, Demography, Religion, SC & ST, Language, Literacy & Education, Economic Activity, Migration and Fertility, the release said.The Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990 provide the legal framework for the conduct of the Census.