Chennai, 02 May (H.S.):The Directorate of Census Operations in Tamil Nadu is set to roll out a series of training programmes for District Collectors and revenue officials beginning this May, in preparation for a comprehensive household data collection exercise scheduled to start in July.

Officials said an initial review meeting was conducted via video conference in February 2026 with District Collectors and key department personnel. However, the training process was paused due to the Assembly elections and will resume following the declaration of results on May 4.

Director of Census Operations M. Sundresh Babu said the State has planned structured training sessions to ensure smooth execution of the exercise. “Master trainers’ programmes will commence from May 11 in three batches, covering around 110 selected officials. A physical review meeting with District Collectors is also being planned for May 15 or May 22,” he said. The preparations have been carried out in consultation with the Chief Secretary.

Tamil Nadu will undertake a fully digitised household listing operation from July 17 to August 30, marking a major shift towards technology-driven census processes. The exercise will cover 33 categories of data, including housing conditions, building materials, amenities, and household assets.

The operation will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will include a self-enumeration option from July 17 to July 31, allowing residents to submit their details online. This will be followed by a door-to-door houselisting and housing census from August 1 to August 30.

Enumerators will gather detailed information on household composition, access to basic amenities, vehicle ownership, and consumption patterns. In the second phase, scheduled for February 2027, population enumeration will be carried out, capturing demographic, socio-economic, migration, fertility, and caste-related data.

Officials said the digitised approach is expected to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and real-time data collection, signalling a significant modernisation of census operations in the State.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman