New Delhi, March 11 The upcoming census will collect data on the sex of the household head – Male, Female, and Transgender, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written response, said the 2027 census will be conducted in two phases. The questions for the first phase, which covers the enumeration of households and housing, have been notified.
"Information on the condition of housing, household particulars including the name and sex of the household head, available amenities, and assets possessed by the household will be collected in this phase. Data on the sex of the household head – Male/Female/Transgender – will be collected," Rai said.
The questions for the second phase, which is the population enumeration where information of each individual will be collected, will be notified in due course, he added.
The minister said enumerators will undertake house-to-house field visits in the entire enumeration area to collect census data, in order to avoid any exclusion on any ground.
"Providing self-enumeration is an additional facility for respondents to submit data. Enumerators will confirm the self-enumeration data before final submission. Furthermore, FAQs, necessary 'tool tips', and validation checks for the questions are provided in the self-enumeration portal itself to ensure the accuracy of the data," he said.
The minister said that all suitable measures have been taken for data security while collecting data on mobile, during data transmission, and at the server level.
"Adequate training is being provided to all field functionaries appointed for the census work, including enumerators and supervisors. Validation rules are incorporated in the mobile app itself to ensure data consistency and accuracy. Furthermore, the data collected by the enumerators will also be monitored and checked by the supervisors," he said.
The Union Cabinet has approved ₹11,718 crore for conducting the 2027 India census, which will include the enumeration of caste for the first time.
The 16th census since independence will be a fully digital exercise and will offer citizens the option of self-enumeration. The decennial exercise, which was scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.