President Murmu, PM Modi Take Part in Self-enumeration Exercise as India's First Digital Census Begins

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took part in the first self-enumeration exercise in India's census history, which began in the national capital and seven other states and UTs giving an option to citizens to submit their information through a special web portal.The first citizen of the country self-enumerated on the SE portal(se.census.gov.in) where she filled all her details in Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan and Deputy Director General (Census Planning) Biswajit Das.Prime Minister Modi also filled his self-enumeration details in the presence of the officials."Completed my self enumeration.

Today marks the beginning of the first phase of Census 2027, relating to house listing and housing operations. This census is the first time data collection being done through digital means."It also empowers the people of India to self-enumerate their household details. I appeal to the people of India to self-enumerate their household details themselves and participate in the Census process," Modi said on 'X'.Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Home Minister Amit Shah also filled self-enumeration form online."As part of the first phase of the Census, the ‘House Listing’ process commencing today, I filled the self-enumeration form. This process will play a crucial role in accelerating India’s development journey and ensuring that government schemes reach every citizen effectively," Shah said on 'X'.The Census 2027 kick-started on Wednesday in eight states and Union Territories, including NDMC and Delhi Cantt areas of the national capital, with the opening of a 15-day self-enumeration window, a first in the history of the massive exercise, where citizens will have the option to digitally submit information on their own.A specially developed portal for self-enumeration has been opened for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Sikkim, Odisha, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, and areas under the NDMC and the Cantonment Board of the national capital, where citizens can answer the listed questions and generate a unique ID.The physical door-to-door collection of information for all building and dwelling units, called the House Listing and Housing Census, shall begin on April 16 in these states and UTs.In Delhi, the self-enumeration will take place in two 15-day windows: areas under NDMC and Delhi Cantonment from April 1 to April 15, and areas under MCD from May 1 to May 15, as outlined in the Census schedule.The following month-long door-to-door houselisting operation will take place in NDMC and Delhi Cantonment from April 16 to May 15, and areas under the MCD from May 16 to June 15.Citizens opting for self-enumeration will have to provide their ID to the enumerator during the physical verification visit, where the data they provide shall be verified and submitted.People can access the Self-Enumeration (SE) portal (se.census.gov.in), log in using their mobile number, identify their location on the map, fill in household details, submit the information, and receive SE ID.Mobile application used by enumerators as well as the SE portal will be available in 16 languages, including Hindi and English.Meanwhile, Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati completed his self-enumeration online and urged all to do the same to ensure every household is counted in the census."On the commencement of Census 2027, I extend my greetings to the people of Odisha. As the first citizen of Odisha, I have fulfilled my duty by completing my self-enumeration, and I urge each one of you to do the same," the governor said in a video message.In Sikkim, Governor Om Prakash Mathur and Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang commenced the self-enumeration exercise, officials said.Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma also completed the self-enumeration on the portal in Aizawl, marking the start of the process in the state.Officials from the Aizawl Municipal Corporation, the General Administration Department, and the Directorate of Census Operations were present to facilitate the digital entry, he said.Meanwhile, the Karnataka government launched an awareness campaign on self-enumeration, urging citizens to provide their details online and cooperate fully with enumerators during house listing operations.The Census 2027, the 16th since Independence, is being conducted in two phases -- the first stage is known as house listing and housing census, and the second stage is the population census. The housing listing and housing census beginning April 16 will systematically list all structures, houses, and households throughout the country to provide a sound framework for the conduct of the population enumeration.In a First, the exercise shall be completely digital, with enumerators using a special mobile application created for the purpose on their phones to collect the information.During the housing listing operations, the enumerators will physically visit each house and building and pose 33 questions to the citizens regarding basic facilities in their houses, information about the head of the household, such as the name and sex, and the ownership status, among others.The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census 2027, which would include the caste enumeration for the first time.The decadal exercise, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.