Ahmedabad, May 31: The first phase of the 2027 census in Gujarat will commence on June 1. Prior to this launch, over 374,000 individuals have completed self-enumeration as the state prepares for what officials are calling “India’s first fully digital census exercise.”
This will be the 16th census in the country’s history and the eighth since independence, conducted in two phases across Gujarat and the rest of India. The last census took place in 2011.
Census Director Sujal Myatra urged all citizens to participate in the nationwide enumeration program. He stated, “From June 1 to June 30, housing listings and the housing census will be conducted across the state. During this phase, enumerators will ask a total of 33 questions covering housing conditions, family details, sources of drinking water, toilet facilities, and other properties.”
The first phase, known as the House Listing and Housing Census (HLHC), will gather information about housing status, family structure, availability of drinking water, sanitation facilities, and other properties.
This survey will be conducted in all districts, municipalities, and villages of Gujarat. The second phase, which includes population enumeration (PE) and caste enumeration, is scheduled to take place from February 9 to February 28, 2027.
According to census officials, this phase will also include the collection of caste data alongside the nationwide population census. Myatra added, “During this phase, both population and caste enumeration will be conducted, completing the caste census across the country.”
Officials noted that the self-enumeration campaign, which began on May 17, saw participation from Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, cabinet members, the Chief Secretary, senior officials, district collectors, municipal commissioners, and other citizens who submitted their details online.
As of May 30, over 374,000 citizens had filled out self-enumeration forms under the 2027 census, with approximately 3.3 million applications successfully submitted, while around 44,000 forms are still in process.
The census campaign in Gujarat will involve 110,598 house listing blocks (HLBs) and will be managed by 109,038 enumerators with the assistance of 18,254 supervisors.
To prepare for this process, census personnel, supervisors, and other officials have undergone training in three phases. Officials emphasized that modern technology will play a crucial role in this year’s census.
Dedicated Android and iOS applications have been developed in 16 languages, including Gujarati, featuring offline data collection capabilities to facilitate enumeration in areas with limited internet connectivity.
A special self-enumeration option has also been introduced, allowing residents to submit their information directly through the official portal.
Census officials stressed that all information collected under the Census Act of 1948 and the Census Rules of 1990 will remain completely confidential.
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