THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
APRIL 1, 2026
Odisha on Wednesday
commenced the self-enumeration phase of the national Census, signalling a
significant shift towards India’s first fully digitised population data
collection process. Residents can submit their details online until midnight on
April 15, marking a major step in modernising the country’s traditional census
exercise.
Director of Census
Operations in Odisha, Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, said the initiative was inaugurated
with the Governor completing the first online self-enumeration, highlighting
the government’s push for citizen participation through digital platforms. For
the first time, individuals have been empowered to independently provide their
demographic and household information using the official Census portal.
The questionnaire
comprises 33 questions capturing vital socio-economic indicators, including
housing conditions, family structure, head of household details, ownership of
vehicles and land, LPG usage, and caste-related information. The online process
aims to reduce reliance on physical visits in the initial phase, ensuring
convenience and improved data accuracy.
Following the
conclusion of the digital window on April 15, the House Listing Operation will
begin from April 16 and continue until May 15. During this period, trained
enumerators and supervisors will conduct door-to-door verification across all
30 districts, covering urban as well as rural areas, including municipal
corporations, municipalities, notified area councils and industrial townships.
The Directorate of Census Operations, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs in coordination with the state Revenue and Disaster Management Department, has undertaken extensive preparations. Sixty-seven Master Trainers have already trained 1,552 field trainers, who are now preparing more than one lakh personnel, including over 1,00,000 enumerators and 17,000 supervisors, for the exercise.
