Assam to launch Census 2027 self-enumeration from August 2, flood-hit districts kept out for now

The Directorate of Census Operations on Saturday, August 1 announced that self-enumeration for Census 2027 will commence across Assam from August 2, marking the beginning of the state's technology-enabled population enumeration exercise. Officials, however, said the process will not begin immediately in two flood-affected districts of upper Assam due to the prevailing flood situation.

The announcement was made during a press conference held at I-Block, Janata Bhawan, where Director of Census Operations Biswajit Pegu outlined the roadmap for the Census exercise and the preparations undertaken by the department.

Pegu said the Census will be conducted in two phases. The first phase, comprising self-enumeration, will run from August 2 to August 16, allowing residents to submit their details digitally through the Census self-enumeration portal or using smartphones. The second phase, the Housing Census, will be carried out from August 17 to September 15, during which enumerators will collect information on housing conditions, household assets and basic amenities.

Assuring citizens on data privacy, Pegu said all information collected during the Census would remain strictly confidential and would not be shared with any individual or agency. He added that the data would be securely stored at the National Data Centre.

The Census exercise in Assam will cover all 35 districts, encompassing 166 sub-districts and 26,236 villages. As part of the preparatory process, the training of 59 Master Trainers for the state has already been completed.

Officials said the Census questionnaire will consist of 33 questions covering demographic and household-related information, including the type of house, number of family members, identity of the head of the household, number of married persons in the family, source of drinking water, availability of a kitchen, LPG or PNG connections, and other household amenities.

Highlighting the technology-driven approach being adopted for the Census, the Directorate said citizens will have the option of completing self-enumeration through an online portal or on their smartphones. The self-enumeration platform will be available in 16 languages, including Assamese, to facilitate wider public participation.

The Directorate also informed that citizens seeking assistance or additional information regarding the Census process can contact the dedicated toll-free helpline, 1855. Officials urged residents to participate in the exercise and provide accurate information to ensure the successful conduct of Census 2027 across the state.