PANAJI
Nearly 1,500 teachers are expected to be deployed for the first phase of the upcoming Census exercise, scheduled to begin on April 16, marking the country’s first Census in 16 years.
The month-long house-listing and housing Census will be conducted from April 16 to May 15, forming the first of a two-phase nationwide exercise. The second phase, population enumeration, is slated for early 2027.
State authorities have intensified preparations, with the Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) and the Directorate of Planning, Statistics and Evaluation already completing training of 56 charge and district officers, 52 clerical and technical staff, and six state-level master trainers. Training of 50 field trainers is currently in progress.
A senior official said the field trainers will, in turn, train around 3,000 enumerators and supervisors in the first week of April. “Close to 1,500 teachers will be engaged in the first phase of the Census operation,” the official added.
Director of Education Shailesh Zingade confirmed that both teaching and non-teaching staff will be made available as required. Sources indicated that primary school teachers are likely to form the bulk of the workforce, as schools at the primary level remain closed during April.
“The primary exams are set to get over on April 2 and before April 16 their assessments would be also completed so that the teachers are free to take up census duty,” sources said.
The first phase will involve extensive data collection on housing conditions and household characteristics. Enumerators will record details such as building and census house numbers, construction materials used for floors, walls and roofs, usage and condition of houses, ownership status, number of rooms, and the number of residents.
Information about the head of the household — including name, gender and social category — along with the number of married couples, will also be documented. In addition, data on access to basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, sanitation facilities, cooking fuel, and kitchen and bathing arrangements will be collected.
Officials said enumerators will use digital tools including the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), the House Listing Block Creator (HLBC) web application, and the HLO mobile app to capture responses to 33 questions during Phase I.
Training sessions have focused not only on technical aspects but also on interpersonal skills, including approaching households, maintaining neutrality, ensuring confidentiality, and handling sensitive questions. The importance of Census data in policy planning and nation-building has also been emphasised.
Meanwhile, a self-enumeration window will be open from April 1 to 15, allowing households to submit their details online ahead of the field exercise.
