Digital Goa, Mar 31 – Goa will mark the launch of the country’s first-ever fully digital census on April 1, with self-enumeration for houselisting set to begin across the state. This will be the 8th census since India’s independence in 1947 and the 16th since the Census exercise began in the country in 1872. Notably, Konkani has been included for the first time in the census process. Addressing a press conference, Director of Census Operations and IAS officer Cheshta Yadav said the census in Goa will be conducted in two phases. The first phase—houselisting and housing census—will begin with self-enumeration from April 1 to April 15. Self enumeration is voluntary and not mandatory for citizens. This will be followed by house to house visit by enumerators from April 16 to May 15. The second phase, population enumeration, will be conducted nationwide from February 9 to February 28, 2027. For administrative purposes, Goa has been divided into 26 charges across its three districts—North Goa, South Goa and Kushavati. The exercise will be carried out by a workforce comprising 3 principal officers (District Magistrates), 26 charge officers (Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars), 422 supervisors, and 2,467 enumerators, along with other government staff, totalling 3,086 personnel. The digital exercise will be conducted through the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS). The census questionnaire will include 33 questions covering various socio-economic indicators of households.
Scannable Bar coded identity cards for enumerators
Enumerators visiting households from April 16 will carry bar-coded identity cards, which citizens can scan to verify authenticity.
Under the Census Act, citizens are required to provide accurate information, allow enumerators entry, and permit official house markings—temporary numbers or codes painted or written on buildings for identification during enumeration. Refusal to cooperate, obstruction of officials, or tampering with such markings can attract penalties.
Citizens can submit Census data online as self-enumeration begins from April 1
Voluntary self-enumeration facility, allowing citizens to submit their household details digitally will be available from April 1 to April 15. Using self-enumeration residents can fill in their census data through website or using mobile apps. The self-enumeration application will be available in 16 languages, including Konkani. Citizens can log in using their mobile number and fill out a set of 33 questions related to their household. Only one mobile number can be linked to one household. Upon successful submission of the form, each household will be issued a unique 11-digit ID. Citizens are required to present this ID to enumerators during their visit. Enumerators, who will begin field verification from April 16, will cross-check and validate the information submitted online by reading and confirming the details with household members.
