VARANASI, Feb. 10 -- House listing and house enumeration will be conducted simultaneously across the entire Uttar Pradesh from May 22 to June 20 this in the first phase of Census-2027. This information was given by Sheetal Verma, chief principal census officer and director, Directorate of Census Operations, Uttar Pradesh, here on Monday. Verma, who gave a detailed presentation on the process, timeline and the action plan for Census 2027, said population enumeration will be completed across the country in February 2027.Verma reviewed preparations for Census-2027 in a meeting with Varanasi divisional commissioner S Rajalingam and district magistrates of four districts in the division. Training for all officers and employees involved in the census work will start in a phased manner from February 15. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 personnel will be deployed for census duty in Varanasi district, 11,000 in Jaunpur, 9,000 in Ghazipur, and about 5,000 in Chandauli. Census-2027 will be the 16th census of the country and the eighth census after independence, Verma said, adding it is considered the largest and most reliable source of primary data at the village, city, and ward levels. The exercise will be conducted digitally and, for the first time, citizens have been given the option of self-enumeration. Fifteen days before commencement of field work for the census in the state - from May 7 to 21, 2026 - all citizens can fill out the online questionnaire through the self-enumeration portal and mobile app. During the census, detailed information related to social, economic and housing conditions will be collected and will form the basis for future development plans and policy formulation, Verma said. During the house listing and enumeration process, enumerators will collect data on 33 types of information. All this information will be compiled through digital means and will remain completely confidential. The divisional commissioner instructed all district magistrates to pay special attention to the selection of suitable trainers. The meeting was coordinated by Dr. S.S. Sharma, joint director (Census), Government of India. The meeting was also attended by the chief development officer, the municipal commissioner of Varanasi, all additional district magistrates (Finance and Revenue), the joint director of education, the deputy directors of information, panchayati raj, economics and statistics, the district informatics officer and other officials concerned....