Chandigarh, October 12:- Haryana has successfully completed the first phase of Census-2027 entirely through digital means. After successfully covering 51,907 house-listing blocks across 23 districts and 11 municipal corporations, Haryana has now begun preparations for the second phase of population enumeration. The second phase will cover approximately 70,000 enumeration blocks across 6,522 villages and 88 towns falling within the 23 districts. Around 74,800 enumerators, including reserve personnel, and 12,650 supervisors are proposed to be deployed for this exercise. The entire process will be conducted through 203 census charges under the supervision of 34 Principal Census Officers.
Dr. Sumita Mishra, Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, who is also the State Nodal Officer for Census-2027, has directed district administrations to ensure 100 per cent population coverage. No individual should be left out, and there should be no possibility of double enumeration. Strict accountability must be established, and all necessary preparations must be completed within the stipulated timeframe.
Dr. Sumita Mishra issued these directions today at a one-day conference of Principal Census Officers held here. The conference discussed operational preparations ahead of population enumeration, digital data collection, deployment of personnel, field-level supervision and coordination among various departments.
Dr. Sumita Mishra, Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, said that Census-2027 is an important national responsibility connected with nation-building, development planning and effective governance. She directed Deputy Commissioners to personally monitor the preparations, hold regular review meetings with Charge Officers, identify potential operational difficulties before the commencement of population enumeration and ensure their resolution.
Addressing the conference, Dr. Sumita Mishra, Financial Commissioner, Revenue, and Additional Chief Secretary, said that the successful completion of the first phase was the result of the dedication and coordinated efforts of Haryana's officers. She said the quality of census data depends to a considerable extent on the seriousness, leadership and field-level supervision of district officials. The role of Deputy Commissioners will be decisive in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the process.
Dr. Mishra said officers should treat census work as a priority rather than an additional departmental responsibility and take personal responsibility for the preparations. She said special attention should be given to remote areas, rapidly developing residential settlements, urban areas, slum localities and areas with migrant populations. A comprehensive action plan should be prepared in advance to eliminate the possibility of any individual or family being left out.
She made it clear that there would be no compromise on coverage, accuracy or confidentiality during the census. She directed officers to make effective use of technology and available administrative information to identify potential gaps, prevent double enumeration and strengthen field-level supervision.
The Financial Commissioner also stressed the need for strict scrutiny of applications seeking exemption from census duty. These will also include requests from personnel who completed their duties during the first phase. She said that selecting capable personnel and providing them with timely training were essential for the successful conduct of the census.
Dr. Mishra said preparations for the second phase had begun, and the training process had also commenced at the conference of Principal Census Officers. Charge Officers, master trainers, field trainers, enumerators and supervisors will be trained subsequently so that all personnel are fully familiar with their responsibilities, prescribed procedures and timelines.
She directed Charge Officers to maintain regular contact with field personnel and hold weekly meetings with supervisors to identify problems and ensure their timely resolution. Describing public participation as an important foundation for the success of the census, Dr. Mishra directed Deputy Commissioners to launch extensive public awareness campaigns and promptly counter rumours and misleading information with fact-based information.
She said the state government was working on a plan to reach families in urban and rural areas through social media, educational institutions, Gram Panchayats, Resident Welfare Associations, wall writing and traditional public announcement methods. Major public events such as Geeta Jayanti and the Surajkund Fair will also be used to raise awareness about Census-2027 and encourage citizens to undertake self-enumeration.
The Financial Commissioner placed special emphasis on the facilities available to census personnel and their work-related preparations. She directed district administrations to provide appropriate training facilities, security arrangements, necessary resources and administrative support. She also asked them to ensure early payment of pending honorariums so that personnel engaged in census work do not face unnecessary difficulties. Enumerators and supervisors are entitled to a total honorarium of Rs. 25,000 for both phases. This includes Rs. 9,000 for house-listing work and Rs. 16,000 for population enumeration.
Dr. Mishra said the confidentiality of personal information collected during the census must be strictly protected in accordance with the Census Act, 1948, and prescribed procedures. She also stressed the need for effective coordination among the Revenue, Education, Police, Health, Women and Child Development, Urban Local Bodies, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Information Technology and Public Relations departments so that administrative obstacles could be removed and fieldwork completed without interruption.
Haryana Census Operations Director Dr. Lalit Jain briefed officers on the technical and operational preparations and said that Census-2027 would be India's first fully digital census. Enumerators will collect population-related information through a dedicated mobile application on smartphones, while field operations, administrative progress and coordination among census personnel will be monitored through the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS).
He said citizens would be able to enter their information online through the self-enumeration portal from January 10 to January 24, 2027. Door-to-door population enumeration will be conducted from January 25 to February 28, 2027. This will be followed by a proposed five-day revisional round from March 1 to March 5, during which omitted individuals will be identified, errors corrected and comprehensive coverage ensured. The reference date and time for the census have been fixed as midnight on March 1, 2027. Information submitted online by households through self-enumeration will also be verified by enumerators through household visits to confirm the details recorded digitally at the field level. Supervisors will verify 20 per cent of the records, while Charge Officers will be authorised to identify records requiring additional field verification.
Technical sessions were also held at the conference on the population enumeration process, questionnaire, digital application, self-enumeration portal, legal provisions and arrangements for enumeration in special areas.
Dr. G. Anupama, Additional Chief Secretary of the Services Department; Shri Vijayendra Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Development and Panchayats Department; Dr. Priyanka Soni, Director of the Women and Child Development Department; divisional commissioners; and commissioners from various districts attended the conference.
