Guwahati: Self-enumeration for Census 2027 in Meghalaya will begin today, Friday, May 1. The announcement was made during a press briefing held in Shillong, jointly organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) and the Directorate of Census Operations, Meghalaya.
Director of Census Operations, Meghalaya, Biswajit Pegu, told reporters that Census 2027 will be a significant exercise as it marks the 16th census in India and the eighth since Independence.
He also said that for the first time, the entire census, from data collection to processing and analysis, will be carried out digitally through mobile applications and the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal.
He explained that people can enter their household details online under the self-enumeration facility between May 1 and May 15. These details will later be verified by census workers during field visits.
The census exercise will be carried out in two phases. The first phase covers self-enumeration followed by house listing operations (HLO). Once the self-enumeration period ends, the HLO phase will run from May 16 to June 14, during which officials will collect information on housing conditions, assets, and basic facilities using a 33-question format.
The second phase, population enumeration, will be conducted in February 2027, with March 1, 2027 set as the reference date.
Pegu said the digital system will help improve accuracy through pre-loaded digital forms and will also speed up data processing, ensuring quicker release of census results.
Pegu assured that strong safeguards have been put in place to protect all census data. He said information related to individuals and households will not be made public, and only summary-level data will be released for use in planning and policy-making.
He also clarified that mobile numbers collected during the exercise will be used strictly for verification and communication purposes.
He further said that about 9,000 personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, will be deployed throughout Meghalaya. Data collection will be closely monitored through a multi-tier supervision system to ensure accuracy.
He added that the census will cover all regular and institutional households, while groups such as foreign nationals and diplomatic staff will not be included during the house listing stage.
In addition, a toll-free helpline (1855) has been set up to assist citizens with census-related queries. The service will guide people on procedures, resolve doubts, and provide updates on both the house listing and population enumeration phases.
