Bhubaneswar, April 2 -- Around 17,000 people completed their self-enumeration on the first day of the digital census exercise in Odisha on Wednesday, marking an early response to the newly introduced online process.

The figure was shared by Census Director Nikhil Pavan Kalyan on Thursday, indicating participation levels at the start of the exercise. The self-enumeration phase, which began on Wednesday, allows citizens to submit their details digitally for the first time as part of the nationwide census process.

Officials have urged more citizens to take part in the self-enumeration process to ensure wider coverage. An appeal was made to the public to actively participate in the initiative, which is designed to simplify data collection a...