Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming Census of India with senior officials, including the Union Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), and other top functionaries at a meeting held in New Delhi.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the notification for conducting the Census will be published in the official gazette on June 16.
The Census will be carried out in two distinct phases. The first phase, known as the Houselisting Operation (HLO), will focus on collecting information related to housing conditions, household assets, and amenities. The second phase, termed Population Enumeration (PE), will involve gathering detailed demographic, socio-economic, cultural, and other relevant information for every individual in each household. This Census will also include caste enumeration.
Approximately 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with 1.3 lakh Census functionaries, will be deployed for the extensive data collection exercise.
This will be the 16th Census since its inception and the 8th Census to be conducted after India’s independence.
In a major technological advancement, the upcoming Census will be conducted through digital means using specially developed mobile applications. Citizens will also be provided with the option of self-enumeration.
To ensure the safety and confidentiality of data, robust and stringent security measures will be implemented at every stage—data collection, transmission, and storage.