Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced the schedule for house listing operations as part of the Census of India 2027. According to a notification issued by the Revenue Department, the exercise will be carried out across the state from April 16 to May 15, 2026.

The house listing phase will continue for 30 days. During this period, census staff will visit households to mark houses and collect basic information related to residential structures and household assets.

Self-Enumeration Option Before Field Survey

The government has also provided an option for self-enumeration. Residents willing to submit their details on their own can do so between April 1 and April 15, 2026. This 15-day window will be available just before the start of the door-to-door house listing operations.

Census to Be Conducted in Two Phases

Officials said the census will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will focus on house listing, while the second phase, scheduled to begin in February 2027, will involve a door-to-door population census to collect individual demographic details.

Large Deployment of Census Staff

Nearly one lakh enumerators will be engaged for the census exercise in Odisha. Each enumerator will cover around 200 households, while one supervisor will monitor the work of six enumerators. Enumerators will be paid an incentive of ₹25,000 for their services.

Preparations and Training Underway

Preparatory work for the census has been going on for the last six months. Pre-test surveys have already been conducted in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Boundaries of newly formed NACs and municipalities have also been finalised. Census staff will undergo structured training over the next three months.

High-Level Monitoring and Coordination

Ahead of the census, the Development Commissioner held meetings with all district collectors. A state-level Census Coordination Committee meeting was also organised at Lok Seva Bhawan in the presence of senior officials, including the Census Director. The process will be closely monitored to ensure accuracy and smooth execution.

Digital Push and Data Security Measures

Around 90 per cent of the census data is expected to be collected through digital mode. Citizens opting for self-enumeration will need to register on the official portal using OTP-based mobile verification. Each mobile number can be used only once, and features like screenshots will be disabled to safeguard data.