Chandigarh, February 19 Large-scale preparations have begun in Haryana for the 2027 Census, which will be the sixth census for the state since its formation in 1966, officials said.
To ensure the successful and time-bound conduct of the census, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi virtually addressed a one-day conference of divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, and municipal corporation commissioners on Thursday.
Highlighting that the census is not merely a statistical exercise, but the foundation for policies, welfare schemes, and infrastructure development for the coming decade, Rastogi said that it is also a test of the state's administrative and technical efficiency, as well as its coordination capabilities.
Notably, the state government has initiated comprehensive preparations for the 2027 Census, which will be the first fully digital census to be conducted in the state.
Rastogi said the objective of the conference was to sensitize senior officers and principal census officers about the methodology and procedures of the census and to clarify their roles and responsibilities.
The census data is extremely crucial for policy formulation and development planning, the chief secretary emphasised.
The data from the 2011 census helped identify districts with a low child sex ratio in the state, enabling targeted interventions through the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' programme, he said, according to an official statement.
Rastogi highlighted that the deputy commissioners and municipal corporation commissioners have a vital role in the census process. Ensuring compliance with Central government guidelines, appointment and training of enumerators and supervisors, complete district coverage, and timely completion of work are their responsibilities.
Divisional commissioners have been directed to regularly review progress in the districts under their jurisdiction and ensure time-bound implementation.
Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Sumita Misra, instructed officers to ensure that there is no scope for error or negligence in the census process.
She stressed the importance of proper training and sensitisation of officials and staff and directed that funds allocated for census activities be utilised judiciously.
In the first phase, 'House Listing and Housing Census' will be conducted from May 1 to May 30, 2026.
Departing from the traditional process, citizens will also be given the option of self-enumeration, for which an online portal will be launched on April 16, 2026.
Misra informed that citizens will be able to fill in their details online in advance. After submission of information, they will receive a unique self-enumeration ID via SMS and email. When the enumerator visits, he or she will only verify the pre-filled information, thereby saving time and improving data quality.
Director of Census Operations, Haryana, Lalit Jain, said that approximately 50,000 House Listing Blocks will be covered under 203 rural and urban charges in the upcoming census. For this extensive exercise, more than 50,000 enumerators and over 8,000 supervisors will be deployed.
A phased training system involving master trainers and field trainers will be adopted.
He further shared that enumerators will use a dedicated House Listing Operation mobile application, which will be installed on their registered personal mobile devices.
The application will function in offline mode as well, ensuring that census work is not disrupted in remote and network-deficient areas.
Data will automatically synchronise once network connectivity is available. The mobile application will be available on both Android and iOS platforms, with specified minimum operating system, RAM and storage requirements. Real-time monitoring and technology-enabled dashboards will ensure continuous supervision of progress at every level.
To address challenges during the census, a district census coordination committee will be constituted in each district. Coordination will be ensured among departments such as revenue, education, police, health, panchayati raj, information technology and information and public relations.
A comprehensive public awareness campaign will also be launched to build public trust and cooperation.
