Chennai, August 1: Tamil Nadu is set to commence the ‘House Listing and Housing Census’ on Saturday. This initiative marks the beginning of the first phase of the 2027 Census, which will involve a month-long door-to-door enumeration across the state.
According to officials, over 115,000 enumerators will participate in India’s first fully digital census process. This field operation will run from August 1 to August 30, covering every household in Tamil Nadu. Approximately 120,000 house listing blocks have been established under 1,026 administrative regions for this purpose.
To ensure smooth execution of the census process, around 19,000 supervisors have been deployed statewide. Enumerators will visit each household to gather information through a questionnaire consisting of 33 questions. Topics will include housing conditions, ownership, construction materials, access to drinking water, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, communication facilities, and other basic amenities.
The data collected in this phase will serve as the foundation for the population census and will aid in future planning and policy-making. For the first time in the country’s census history, a specialized mobile app will be used to collect all data, replacing traditional paper-based methods.
Officials stated that this technology-driven approach is expected to enhance the accuracy of data collection, reduce processing time, minimize errors, and facilitate easier management of information. The house listing and housing census will provide a statistical basis for evidence-based policy-making, targeted welfare programs, and long-term development plans.
The information gathered will assist governments in assessing housing conditions, identifying infrastructure deficiencies, and formulating development programs based on reliable statistical data.
Prior to the launch, the newly introduced ‘Self-Enumeration’ feature in Tamil Nadu received a positive response. Between July 17 and July 31, over one million families submitted their information online through the census self-enumeration portal.
Officials advised those who completed the online process to keep their ‘Self-Enumeration Identification Number’ ready for verification when enumerators arrive. Families that did not utilize the online facility will also be included in the door-to-door survey.
Officials reiterated that all information collected during the census will be secure under the provisions of the ‘Census Act, 1948’ and will remain completely confidential. They also emphasized that the digital collection and processing of data comply with the rules of the ‘Digital Personal Data Protection Act’, ensuring that citizens’ information will only be used for statistical analysis, public policy formulation, and development planning.
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