PANAJI
Goa has stepped into India’s first-ever fully digital census exercise with the launch of self-enumeration from Wednesday, offering residents the option to complete the process in Konkani for the first time.
The self-enumeration window for Census 2027 will remain open from April 1 to April 15, allowing households to fill, complete and submit their details online ahead of the door-to-door field exercise. The self-enumeration portal will also be accessible via mobile devices through a dedicated app.
Addressing a press conference, Director of Census Operations, IAS Cheshta Yadav, said the initiative marks a major transformation in census data collection.
“Self-enumeration is a secure web-based facility through which respondents can enter their information online in 16 languages, including Konkani, before the door-to-door survey,” she said, adding that this feature is being introduced for the first time and will be available even during field survey.
Once the head of the family submits details on the portal, they will receive a reference ID and OTP, enabling them to map their location and complete the questionnaire comprising 33 questions.
Yadav said the census in Goa will be conducted in two phases. The first phase – house-listing and housing census -- begins with self-enumeration from April 1, followed by field exercise from April 16 to May 15. The second phase, population enumeration, will be conducted nationwide from February 9 to February 28, 2027, with final data slated for release on March 1, 2027.
The first phase will involve detailed data collection on housing conditions and household characteristics. Enumerators will gather information on building and census house numbers, construction materials used for floors, walls and roofs, condition and usage of houses, ownership status, number of rooms, and household size.
Details of the head of the household including name, gender and social category along with the number of married couples will also be recorded. Additionally, data on access to basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, sanitation, cooking fuel, and kitchen and bathing facilities will be captured.
A total of 3,086 enumerators, including teachers and government staff, will be deployed across Goa. Each enumerator will cover an average population of around 800 individuals.
Officials said the exercise will be carried out using digital tools such as the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), the House Listing Block Creator (HLBC) web application, and the HLO mobile app to record responses.
Yadav emphasised that participation in the census is mandatory under the Census Act, 1948. “As per Section 9 of the Act, residents must allow enumerators to enter their homes and provide information. Failure to cooperate or providing incorrect details is an offence and may attract a fine of up to Rs 1,000,” she said.
India’s first census was conducted in 1872 in a non-synchronous manner, and since 1881 it has been carried out every ten years in a synchronous format. The last census was held in 2011.
