New Delhi, April 15 -- The government will roll out field operations for the Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO), the first phase of Census 2027, from Thursday across select states and Union Territories. The exercise will continue for 30 days, ending May 15, with trained enumerators visiting households to collect key data.
Data will be collected through door-to-door visits by certified personnel, with essential household information recorded in a structured format across designated regions.
The rollout will begin in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, followed by Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, the NDMC area, and the Delhi Cantonment Board.
Ahead of the field exercise, nearly 12 lakh households have already completed self-enrolment online through the government portal, reflecting growing digital participation in the census process.
Officials have said households completing self-enrolment must retain their issued SE ID for verification during enumerator visits. Those who do not complete online submission will be covered through door-to-door enumeration.
Field staff will use a dedicated mobile application for data entry, replacing paper forms to improve accuracy and speed up processing. The Housing Listing Operation will involve 33 questions covering housing structure, amenities, and ownership details, which will later inform policy and welfare planning.
Self-enumeration begins April 16 in states and UTs including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, followed by Bihar on April 17. Officials have confirmed that all information collected under the Census Act, 1948, will remain strictly confidential, and have urged full participation in the nationwide exercise.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.