Bhubaneswar, 01 April (H.S.): The self-enumeration phase of the Census began in Odisha on Wednesday, marking a significant step towards India’s first digital population census. Citizens can submit their details online through the Census portal until midnight on April 15.

Director of Census Operations in Odisha, Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, said the initiative was formally launched with the Governor becoming the first citizen in the state to complete the self-enumeration process. This is the first time that residents have been given the option to fill in their Census details digitally on their own.

As part of the exercise, the government has prepared a questionnaire consisting of 33 questions covering key aspects such as housing conditions, family details, the head of the household, ownership of vehicles and land, and LPG usage. The enumeration process also includes the collection of caste-related data.

The digital platform enables residents to submit their information through the official Census website, reducing reliance on physical surveys during the initial stage of the exercise.

Following the completion of the self-enumeration phase on April 15, the House Listing Operation will commence on April 16 and continue until May 15. During this phase, trained enumerators and supervisors will conduct door-to-door visits across all 30 districts of the state to verify and collect data.

The Census exercise is being conducted by the Directorate of Census Operations under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in coordination with the Odisha government’s Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

Extensive preparations have been undertaken for the process. A total of 67 Master Trainers were trained at the Gopabandhu Administrative Academy, who subsequently trained 1,552 field trainers. These trainers are currently preparing more than one lakh personnel, including over 1,00,000 enumerators and more than 17,000 supervisors, for field operations.

The enumeration will cover both urban and rural areas, including municipal corporations, municipalities, notified area councils and industrial towns. Mobile applications will be used for field data collection, while information submitted online will be verified during door-to-door visits.

To enhance public awareness about the Census, renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarshan Pattnaik has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the campaign.

Senior administrative officials, including District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners, have been assigned key supervisory roles, while teachers have been engaged as enumerators and supervisors for the large-scale exercise.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda