Gujarat Embarks on Digital Census Houselisting Initiative

Starting June 1, Gujarat will initiate the digital houselisting phase for the Population Census-2027, marking the first time such an operation is conducted entirely using digital tools. The month-long program involves over one lakh enumerators canvassing each district, urban area, and village to gather detailed data on living conditions and amenities.

According to Sujal Mayatra, Director of Census Operations in Gujarat, this initiative marks the 16th national census and the eighth since the country's independence. The current phase involves addressing 33 questions on domestic conditions, including housing status, family demographics, water sources, and essential facilities. A subsequent phase for population and caste census is planned from February 9 to 28, 2027.

Nearly 1,09,038 enumerators and 18,254 supervisors are tasked with executing this large-scale operation across over 1,10,598 house listing blocks (HLBs) in Gujarat. The government has also introduced a self-enumeration portal which saw over 3.74 lakh citizens participating by the end of May, with 3.30 lakh forms fully submitted. Software supporting both Android and iOS in 16 languages will assist in data collection, ensuring all information remains confidential as stipulated by the Census Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)