New Delhi, March 30 If a couple living together considers their relationship a "stable union," they should be treated as "married" for the 16th Census, according to the FAQ section on the self-enumeration portal.
The portal, opened for people opting for self-enumeration, will be available for both phases of the Census – 'Houselisting and Housing Census' and 'Population Enumeration'.
It has an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section to help people answer the queries in the Census.
One such FAQ was on live-in relationships. "Will a couple in a live-in relationship be considered a married couple?" The Answer: "If they consider their relationship as a stable union, they should be treated as a married couple."
The section provides guidance on several tricky questions, such as "My house has different flooring materials in different rooms. There is only one option to select under 'material of floor'. Which one should I select?"
"If different rooms have different flooring, record the material used predominantly. For example: If only the drawing room has mosaic but all other rooms have cement, record 'Cement'. If only the bathroom has cement but all other rooms have tiles or mosaic, record 'Mosaic/Floor Tiles'," the FAQ section states.
"If the house has marble flooring, but it is not listed in the options, then select 'Stone'," it says.
To the question, "In my region, we use bamboo or Ekra for walls. But there is no such option listed for walls. Which option should I select then?" the FAQ section advises people to select the "Grass/thatch/bamboo etc" option.
Regarding the name of a caste or tribe that is not listed under the options, the FAQ reply suggests clicking the "Other" option.
It says that each state and Union Territory has its own notified list of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
"The Census of India has compiled it and provided the list of castes for all states/UTs. If your caste or tribe name is not listed under your state/UT's caste list, you can select 'Other' from the option," it says.
Another tricky question is: "I share a room with another household member. Can it be counted as a dwelling room by me?" The Answer: "No. Only rooms exclusively used by your household should be counted."
Consider this: "If I keep tap water in bottles. Can I consider it as bottled water?"
"No, it is still considered tap water," the FAQ section states.
One of the questions seeks to know if a mobile phone has FM, should it be counted as 'radio' available, to which the FAQ says, "Yes. Record 'On Mobile/Smartphone'."
To the question "If I listen to music on Carvaan, what type of radio should I record?" the answer is to choose "Any other device".
The government has notified 33 questions that will be put before citizens in the first phase – the Houselisting and Housing Census – starting April 1, 2026.
Questions related to the material used for house flooring and roof, the number of married couples in a household, the sex of the head of the house, the type of cereal a household consumes, access to basic and modern necessities, and the types of vehicles owned will be asked in the first phase.
The questions in the first phase will start with the building number (municipal or local authority), the house number, and the predominant material used in the floor, walls and roof of the house.
The enumerators will then ask about the use of the house, its condition, and the number of persons normally residing in the household.
Officials will also collect information about the head of the household – their name and sex, whether they belong to the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe or other communities, and the ownership status.
