GREATER NOIDA: The first round of data collection for Census 2027 will commence with a self-enumeration exercise in Gautam Budh Nagar district from May 7, followed by the house-listing phase from May 22, in line with the schedule for Uttar Pradesh, officials said Wednesday.
The final population enumeration will be carried out across the country between February 9 and February 28, 2027, and will take place in Gautam Budh Nagar during the same period, though district-specific dates are yet to be notified.
Residents in GB Nagar will be able to self-enumerate between May 7 and May 21 by submitting household details online through a dedicated portal. This is the first time such a provision has been introduced, allowing families to fill in information digitally and share a unique code with enumerators during verification.
The house-listing phase – the first rollout of the Census where officials canvas the country – will be carried out between May 22 and June 20, officials said. “Field-level activities in the district will start from May 22 as per the state plan. Meanwhile, preparations are underway at the administrative level,” an official familiar with the matter said.
The house listing involves collection of data on housing conditions, assets, and amenities. In previous censuses, data was collected exclusively through door-to-door visits. The upcoming exercise introduces a hybrid model where residents can fill details digitally and later share a 16-digit unique code for verification with enumerators.
Utkarsh Pandey, the nodal officer for the census in GB Nagar, said coordination with the district administration is underway. “Detailed information will be shared at the appropriate time,” he said.
At the national level, officials said the shift to digital data collection is expected to improve accuracy, reduce manual errors, and speed up data processing. The digital format may also help address challenges faced in urban districts like GB Nagar in previous censuses, where repeated visits were required due to resident unavailability.
More than three million enumerators, supervisors, and other officials will be involved nationwide. Enumerators will collect and submit data directly through a mobile app, and the self-enumeration portal will be available in 16 languages, including Hindi and English.
The last Census of India was conducted in 2011. Census 2027 will be the 16th in the series and the 8th since Independence.