Panaji: The country’s first digital Census will begin in Goa from Wednesday, with the self-enumeration portal opening for citizens to allow entries for the first phase of house-listing and housing census up to April 15.
Director of Census operations, Cheshta Yadav, said Konkani is among the 15 languages made available to users to enter their data.At least 3,000 supervisors and enumerators have been trained in Goa to carry out the Census, Yadav said. They will begin work on the field only from April 16 — after the self-enumeration period ends — and conclude their work on May 15.She said that if households are unable to complete the Census or not able to carry it out for any reason, enumerators will complete data entry for the households concerned or do it from scratch for them if not attempted at all.Yadav said that since this is the first time a digital Census is being carried out, the data will only be finalised once an enumerator checks and approves it.“Census 2027 is one of the most significant administrative and statistical exercises about to begin in the country. It will lay the foundation for effective planning and policy formulation. Self-enumeration can be done using url: se.census.gov.in. As part of the second phase from Feb 9 to 28, 2027, population enumeration will be done,” said Yadav.
Under the Census Act, 1948, the data collected will be kept confidential. The Act also holds citizens responsible to provide accurate and unambiguous information to the questions asked.“It is the responsibility of citizens to allow Census staff to enter her/his house, allow a number to be painted on her/his house, and to give correct information to the best of her/his knowledge and belief. In Goa, mostly teachers have been trained as enumerators.
There will be 2,467 enumerators and 419 supervisors carrying out Census work in Goa,” said Yadav. Each enumerator will cover at least 800 persons, she said.If there is no internet connection available during the self-enumeration process, the data can be filled up and uploaded later when connectivity is obtained, Yadav said and added that if there are any concerns about the safety of citizens, they are free to ask for the identity cards of enumerators, scan the barcode on them and verify their identity.
