Census 2027: House listing begins across Tamil Nadu, self-enumeration starts in West Bengal; all you need to know
Times of India | 1 August 2026
CHENNAI:/KOLKATA: The first phase of Census 2027 began on Saturday in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with lakhs of enumerators beginning the houselisting and housing exercise. While around 1.15 lakh enumerators will conduct a month-long door-to-door survey across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal has launched its optional online self-enumeration process ahead of field visits by 1.8 lakh enumerators and 30,000 supervisors.
The first phase of Census 2027, focused on houselisting and housing, began across Tamil Nadu on Saturday, with around 1.15 lakh enumerators conducting a month-long door-to-door survey covering every household in the state.
Enumerators will collect information through a 33-question schedule on housing conditions, civic amenities and access to utilities until August 30, according to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) statement.
More than 10 lakh households in Tamil Nadu have already completed self-enumeration online.
For the first time, the Census is being conducted entirely in digital mode, with enumerators using a mobile application to capture data.
Officials said information collected would remain confidential and be used only for statistical and policy purposes under the Census Act, 1948.
Residents have been urged to cooperate with enumerators during the survey.
West Bengal also began the first phase of Census 2027 on Saturday with an optional online self-enumeration process.
Around 1.8 lakh enumerators, led by 30,000 supervisors, will eventually cover nearly 3.1 crore establishments during the Census exercise.
On Saturday, Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari became the first two residents of the state to submit their details through the optional self-enumeration portal.
"Both the governor and the chief minister will be the first in the state to furnish their Census details. The idea is to instil confidence among people and encourage them to participate in the self-enumeration process," Census director Nikhil Pawan Kalyan told TOI.
"The speaker, chief secretary, DGP and other ministers will also update their details in the portal on Saturday," the official added.
Kalyan also sought to dispel concerns over documentation, stressing that no resident will be required to produce any document before Census officials.
"The Census is based on self-declaration. Enumerators will record whatever information the respondent provides at face value. No documentary proof is required for any of the particulars being collected," he said, urging people to cooperate with Census functionaries.
The optional self-enumeration phase will continue until August 15. It will be followed by nearly a month of door-to-door visits by enumerators, who will verify online entries and collect details from households that did not opt for self-enumeration.
To promote self-enumeration, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has urged around 1,000 schools in the city — 300 private and 700 government-run — to appoint students from Classes VIII to XII as "Census prefects".
The students will encourage their parents, relatives, classmates and neighbours to opt for self-enumeration.
KMC Commissioner and Administrator Smita Pandey said, "Each student is likely to generate self-enumeration awareness among at least 10 families. The students are being involved because they are tech-savvy. They can also do the self-enumeration of their families."
Pandey added that KMC has also urged CREDAI, other trade bodies and advertisement associations to encourage their members to use the self-enumeration process.
"We will kick-start the Census enumeration with solid waste management workers. For the Census, the city's 144 wards will have 8,105 house listing blocks," said Pandey.