my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 8 Apr: The Census exercise in Uttarakhand will formally be launched on 10 April with Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) undertaking self-enumeration. This will mark the beginning of what is being described as India’s first fully digital Census with provision for self-enumeration.
This was shared at a press briefing by Director Eva Ashish Srivastava in Dehradun. She shared that the preparations are underway across the state for the large-scale administrative exercise involving nearly 30,000 enumerators and supervisors who will carry out house-to-house data collection across approximately 32,000 enumeration blocks.
Directorate of Census Operations under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with PIB Dehradun, hosted a press briefing in Dehradun today where Director Eva Ashish Srivastava stated that the Government of India has already initiated the first phase of Census 2027, namely the House Listing Operation and Housing Census, from 1 April, 2026, marking the beginning of the country’s largest administrative and statistical exercise. She shared that, for the first time, the Census would feature complete digital data capture along with a secure web-based self-enumeration facility.
Srivastava said that, in Uttarakhand, the first phase of house listing and housing census will be conducted across the state from 25 April to 24 May 2026 over a period of 30 days, while a 15-day window from 10 April to 24 April has been provided to residents for self-enumeration, enabling them to log on to the official portal using their mobile numbers and basic credentials and submit their details digitally prior to the visit of enumerators, thereby offering flexibility and convenience to citizens while also streamlining the data collection process.
The self-enumeration facility has been designed as a secure, web-based platform available in 16 regional languages including Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, allowing wider accessibility and participation across diverse linguistic groups, and upon successful submission of details, a unique Self-Enumeration Identification number is generated which can be shared with enumerators during their field visits.
Srivastava further stated that, in the second phase of the Census, enumeration in the snow-bound districts of Uttarakhand, including Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi, will be carried out in September 2026, covering 131 villages and three urban areas where climatic conditions necessitate a different schedule.
Srivastava shared that the Census operation in the state will require deployment of around 30,000 enumerators and supervisors, who will conduct door-to-door surveys across roughly 32,000 house listing blocks, with extensive training currently underway for all personnel through 650 batches under a structured training framework involving two national trainers, 23 master trainers and 555 field trainers to ensure uniformity, accuracy and efficiency in data collection.
During the house listing phase, detailed information pertaining to housing conditions, household amenities and available assets will be collected, with a total of 33 questions having been notified in January 2026 for this phase, forming a crucial database for evidence-based planning, policy formulation and targeted welfare schemes over the coming decade.
She reminded that the Census remains a vital instrument of governance, providing the foundational data for developmental planning across sectors, and assured that all information collected under the Census Act, 1948 will be kept strictly confidential, with the digital tools being used for Census 2027 equipped with robust encryption and multi-layer authentication systems to ensure high standards of data security.
She further urged the citizens to actively participate in the process either through self-enumeration or by extending full cooperation to enumerators during field visits so that the exercise can be completed smoothly and accurately.
Among those present at the press conference were Joint Director SS Negi, Deputy Directors Tanya Seth, RK Banwari and Praveen Kumar, along with Assistant Director, PIB, in Dehradun, Sanjeev Sundriyal.
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