PANAJI
More than 3,100 enumerators, supervisors, charge officers and support staff across Goa will undergo intensive training ahead of the first phase of the Census, scheduled to commence on April 16. The exercise -- the first Census in 16 years -- will be conducted in two phases: the House-listing and Housing Census in 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in early 2027.
The State government has notified the month-long house-listing operation from April 16 to May 15. So far, 56 Charge Officers and District Officers have been trained by the Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) and Directorate of Planning, Statistics and Evaluation.
Speaking to The Goan, Deputy Director of DCO Goa, Sweta Nandwana, said the two-day training earlier this month covered key aspects of census procedures. Around 52 clerks and technical assistants will undergo training next week.
“Subsequently, six State-level master trainers will be trained in March. They will train 50 field trainers, who in turn will train around 3,000 enumerators and supervisors in April,” she explained.
The training programme aims to equip officials with a comprehensive understanding of census concepts and definitions, while also providing hands-on orientation on digital platforms such as the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), the House Listing Block Creator (HLBC) web application, and the HLO mobile app, which will be used to collect data on 33 questions during Phase I.
Enumerators and supervisors will be trained in approaching households, building rapport, maintaining neutrality, ensuring confidentiality of data, and handling personal questions sensitively. The sessions also emphasise the role of Census data in nation-building, data quality standards, and preparation of layout maps.
The first phase will gather detailed information on houses and households, including building and census house numbers, materials used for floors, walls and roofs, usage and condition of the house, ownership status, number of rooms, and the number of usual residents.
Details of the head of the household -- such as name, sex and social category (including Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe) -- along with the number of married couples in a household, will also be recorded. Information on access to amenities like drinking water, electricity, toilets, wastewater outlets, bathing and kitchen facilities, and cooking fuel including LPG and PNG connections will be collected.
Officials also reviewed the Self-Enumeration portal, which enables households to submit census details online. Self-enumeration in Goa will be available from April 1 to 15.
