Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Apr 30: Maharashtra will launch the self-enumeration phase of the national Census from May 1, marking the beginning of India’s first fully digital population count, officials announced on Thursday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Nirupama Dange, Chief Principal Census Officer and Director of Census Operations for the state, said the initiative reflects a broader move towards digital governance. The exercise will use mobile applications and an online portal to enable real-time data collection, improve accuracy, and streamline monitoring.
Residents choosing to self-enumerate have been advised to use only the official Census portal and avoid responding to suspicious messages, particularly those that do not include the keyword “RGICEN.”
The self-enumeration window will run from May 1 to May 15, 2026. This will be followed by the house listing and housing Census phase from May 16 to June 14, during which enumerators will conduct door-to-door visits, typically covering eight to ten households per day.
Upon completing the online process, participants will receive a unique 11-digit identification number starting with the letter ‘H’. Officials have stressed that this number should be safely retained and shared with enumerators for verification.
To ensure smooth implementation, administrative boundaries across districts, talukas, cities, and villages have been frozen for the Census period, following a government notification issued in July 2025. A subsequent notification in February 2026 laid out the operational framework for the exercise.
The state will deploy around 2.64 lakh trained field personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, supported by reserve staff. A dedicated digital platform, the Census Monitoring and Management System, will be used for supervision and coordination on a large scale.
Officials said enumeration will cover both slum and non-slum areas using pre-mapped boundaries. Migrant populations will be counted at their place of work under standard Census guidelines.
They also clarified that Census data is collected at the household level and does not serve as legal proof of identity. A second phase involving detailed population counting at the ward level is scheduled to take place next year as part of the overall Census process.