The much-awaited census process in India is all set to begin, with the government announcing the official starting date. This time, the census will be conducted in two phases. According to the Registrar General of India, the first phase will commence from April 1, 2026. In this phase, data will be collected about the assets and amenities available in households, such as vehicles, electronic appliances, and other facilities.
To kick off the preparations, the Census Commissioner and the Registrar General of India have written to the Chief Secretaries of all states. Notably, this will be a digital census, with data collected through a mobile application.
What Will Happen in the First Phase?
The first phase is called the House Listing Operation. It will collect details about residential status, ownership of property, and household amenities. The second phase, known as Population Enumeration (PE), will gather demographic, socio-economic, and other personal data for each individual residing in a household.
The letter to the states mentions that supervisors and enumerators should be appointed and assigned duties before the scheduled date, with the process managed at the district level. This time, caste information will also be recorded. Around 34 lakh field staff, including enumerators and supervisors, will be deployed for the fieldwork, while 30,000 census officers will be responsible for compiling and digitising the collected data.
Also Read-: India’s Census Set to Begin — Here Are the Questions People Will Be Asked
What Kind of Questions Will Be Asked?
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner has prepared around three dozen questions. Citizens will be asked to provide details about their phones, internet access, vans, radios, televisions, refrigerators, and more. They will also be asked about the type of food grains they consume and the source of their drinking water.
Information will also be collected about toilets, bathing facilities, kitchens, and drainage systems. People will be required to provide details about LPG or PNG connections.
Additionally, questions will cover the materials used for roofs, walls, and floors, the number of family members, the number of rooms, how many married couples live in the house, and whether the head of the family is male or female.
The final phase of the census is scheduled to be completed by March 1, 2027. Preparations are already underway following the release of the notification. Normally, the census is conducted every ten years, but it was delayed this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.