Bhubaneswar: The Directorate of Census Operations, Odisha, has launched a pre-test for the house listing and housing census, as part of preparations for the Census of India in 2027, in four selected areas of the state.
The exercise, which began on November 10, is underway in 20 revenue villages of Tentulikhunti block (Nabarangpur), 44 revenue villages of Thakurmunda block (Mayurbhanj), Ward 22 of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, and Ward 17 of Cuttack Municipal Corporation.
Addressing a presser, director of Census Operations in Odisha, Nikhil Pavan Kalyan appealed to the people residing in these areas to extend their full cooperation to the local administration and census officials engaged in this important exercise, which will continue till end of this month. “The state government has notified four locations where we are testing the census questionnaire, the newly developed digital mobile application, and training master trainers along with selected enumerators and supervisors. These areas were chosen due to high population density, significant outgrowth, the presence of PVTG families, or difficult accessibility, ideal conditions for stress-testing our tools and methods,” he said.
He explained that enumerators will visit every household in these areas to allot house numbers and gather data on building conditions, amenities, and household assets. He highlighted that a key feature of 2027 Census is digital data collection system with a secure self-enumeration portal, which will allow individuals to submit their household information online.
Additionally, each house will be geo-tagged using a Digital Layout Mapping App, enabling faster processing and dissemination of census data.
Kalyan added that the entire information will be collected through digital mobile applications, which have been developed by the Registrar General of India’s office of the Census Office at Delhi.
The first phase of Census of India 2027 is being conducted under the administrative control of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, in coordination with the state government.