Census to begin in Maha from May 1 with self-enumeration

This is the first time that citizens have been given the option of self-enumeration, via a form that has 33 questions, said Chief Principal Census Officer for Maharashtra Nirupama Dange

Mumbai: The first phase of the 2027 census will begin from May 1, celebrated as Maharashtra Day, with self-enumeration by citizens for the initial two weeks. From May 16, nearly 264,000 field enumerators and supervisors will fan out across the state, visiting every home, while the third and crucial phase that includes caste-based enumeration will be undertaken in February 2027, Chief Principal Census Officer for Maharashtra Nirupama Dange said during a media briefing on Thursday.

Census to begin in Maha from May 1 with self-enumeration

“This is the first time that citizens have been given the option of self-enumeration, via a form that has 33 questions,” Dange told reporters. The form will be available on a dedicated web portal (https://se.census.gov.in) developed by the offices of the registrar general and the census commissioner, and all personal information collected during the census will be kept strictly confidential. The information will not be used for any police investigations, court proceedings, or government verification, and it will be kept outside the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the census officer said.

Dange appealed to citizens to voluntarily participate in the process by visiting the official portal, and clarified that only one member per household could fill out the self-enumeration details; all family members were not required to do so individually.

Officials said the 33 questions on the self-enumeration form would cover housing conditions, household assets and amenities, house numbers, condition of houses and material used, number of residents, caste status of the head of the family, availability of drinking water, access to latrine and bathing facility, and ownership vehicles.

Filling out the form would take around 15-20 minutes, and all information received via the portal would be encrypted and securely stored on government servers with robust cybersecurity and privacy safeguards, officials said.

Nearly 264,000 field enumerators and supervisors who will undertake the subsequent phase of the census have been provided 5-tier training, officials said.