Hyderabad, April 9 Bharati Hollikeri, Director of Census Operations in Telangana, said on Thursday that the 2027 Census will be conducted in a digital mode, in contrast to the paper-based exercise conducted until 2011.
The first phase of the exercise, involving house listing and housing census, will be conducted from May 11 to June 9, while the second phase will be taken up in February 2027, she said.
As many as 88,000 personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, will be involved in the census in Telangana, although about 93,000 to 94,000 employees are being trained for the mammoth exercise.
"This census has a lot of uniqueness when compared to previous censuses. When we talk about technology adoption, for the first time, we are going to conduct enumeration in a digital mode. Until the 2011 census, enumeration was paper-based," she told
She said that various digital tools have now been developed, including the Census Management Monitoring System (CMMS), Self-Enumeration Portal, and HLO app, which enumerators will use to capture data from every household.
Regarding measures to ensure data protection, she said that as soon as the data is uploaded, it will vanish from the enumerators' devices and be stored in central servers, making it inaccessible to anyone.
The census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and the legislation is particular about maintaining confidentiality and data protection.
"Data protection and confidentiality are hallmarks of the census in India," she said.
Asked about the caste census to be conducted as part of the census, she said that the name and caste of the head of the household (SC, ST, and others) will be collected in the first phase, while caste details of other members will be collected in the second phase.
Regarding the number of questions to be asked during the census, she said that the Centre has already notified the schedule for the first phase, and 33 uniform questions will be asked throughout the country.
Hollikeri said that citizens have been given the opportunity to self-enumerate in the 2027 Census.
The self-enumeration portal will be available for people of Telangana from April 16 to May 10. The portal is a very user-friendly digital tool.
Enumerators will verify the data filled by the respondents during their house visits.
The official said that a scenario where any household or area is not covered is not foreseen, as every administrative unit is further divided to ensure that none of the buildings or households are uncovered. Further, regular monitoring also takes place.
Citizens can also reach out to the helpline, which will be announced soon, if any household was missed.
