PANAJI: Goa’s second phase of Census 2027 will begin with online self-enumeration from November 16 to 30, followed by door-to-door data collection from December 1 to January 4, 2027. The exercise will cover 26 census charges across the state, with 3,272 enumerators and 545 supervisors deployed for the task.
Director of Census Operations Cheshta Yadav announced the schedule while briefing the media on Friday. The 26 charges comprise 14 urban and 12 rural areas, headed by deputy collectors and mamlatdars.
Residents can complete their household details through the dedicated self-enumeration portal during the 15-day window. Following submission, an 11-digit self-enumeration ID beginning with the letter 'P' will be generated and sent to their registered mobile number. This ID must be retained and shared with the enumerator during the subsequent household visit. Residents whose entire family will be away during the field exercise can paste the ID on their door for verification.
The population enumeration will involve 40 questions covering demographic, social, and economic details. These include names, relationship to the head of the household, gender, date of birth, age, marital status, nationality, religion, caste, disability, mother tongue, languages known, literacy, education, occupation, employment and migration.
The questionnaire will also seek fertility-related information, including the number of children ever born and those surviving. Questions on COVID-19 vaccination, bank accounts, mobile numbers, Aadhaar, voter ID, passport and driving licence will also feature, although officials clarified that the questions relating to bank accounts and identity documents are optional.
Assuring residents about the confidentiality of the information collected, Yadav said individual data would be protected under Section 15 of the Census Act and used exclusively for statistical purposes. “All individual information is kept confidential. It is used only for statistical purposes and will not be disclosed to anyone,” she said, adding that under Section 8(2) of the Act, every person is legally bound to provide true and correct information to the best of their knowledge.
Addressing concerns about internet connectivity in remote areas, census officials said the self-enumeration application would function offline as well, with information synchronised once an internet connection becomes available. Residents can save their progress and resume the process later. However, details cannot be edited through the portal after final submission. Any necessary corrections can be made with the enumerator during the household visit.
Special arrangements will also be made to enumerate homeless people across Goa. Enumerators will cover those sleeping on footpaths, in tents,s and other open spaces during the night of January 4. “Our enumerators are well trained to count all homeless people, whether they are on footpaths, in tents or sleeping in other areas,” Yadav said. The exercise will extend to special charges, including Navy areas where movement restrictions exist. The Army's enumeration will be handled directly by the Central Government, officials said.
Yadav said Goa's last population census was conducted in 2011, when the state recorded a population of over 15 lakh. There have been no updated census figures since then, and the latest population data will be released by the Census headquarters after the nationwide exercise is completed. Data relating to the earlier house-listing phase, which covered housing conditions and household infrastructure rather than individual population figures, will also be released.
When asked whether the census could help identify states facing population pressure and guide policy decisions, Yadav said the organisation's role was to provide statistical information. “We are a statistical organisation. We can give reports and numbers. What the government decides to do with those numbers is a policy decision,” she said.
The reference date for Goa's Census 2027 exercise will be 00:00 hours on January 5, 2027, with a revisional round scheduled from January 5 to 9. Yadav appealed to residents to cooperate with census personnel and participate actively in the exercise.
