GUWAHATI: Assam has intensified preparations for Census 2027, India’s first fully digital Census, with around 83,535 enumerators and supervisors set to be deployed for Phase-I operations across the state.
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A State Level Conference of Principal Census Officers (PCOs) on Phase-I of Census 2027, the Houselisting & Housing Census (HLO), was held on Monday, May 25 at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, IAS.
The conference was organised by the General Administration Department, Government of Assam, in association with the Directorate of Census Operations, Assam, under the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
It was attended by the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS, senior officers of the Government of Assam, the Chief Principal Census Officer-cum-Director of Census Operations, Assam, the State Nodal Officer, District Commissioners and Municipal Commissioners-cum-Principal Census Officers of all districts and municipal corporations, along with officials from the Directorate of Census Operations, Assam.
It was informed that Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases—Houselisting & Housing Census (HLO) and Population Enumeration (PE). Phase-I will focus on houses and households rather than individuals and will collect information on housing conditions, amenities and household assets. The data generated will also form the frame for the Population Enumeration phase.
The HLO data will support both the State and Central Governments in planning housing, infrastructure and delivery of basic services across rural and urban areas of Assam. The updated dataset is expected to assist in targeted interventions in flood-prone regions, urban expansion zones, tea garden areas and tribal regions, along with strengthening implementation of key social welfare schemes including housing, drinking water, sanitation, electricity and digital connectivity.
The Government of Assam has notified the Phase-I schedule from August 17 to September 15, 2026, within the national April–September 2026 window. Self-enumeration will be available from August 2 to August 16, 2026 through the official portal followed by house-to-house enumeration using digital devices for verification of submitted data.
Population Enumeration (Phase-II) will be conducted in February 2027 across all States and Union Territories, with the reference date fixed at 00:00 hours of March 1, 2027.
For Phase-I operations, Assam will deploy approximately 83,535 enumerators and supervisors, including reserve personnel. The state has also designated 59 Master Trainers and finalised 1,109 Field Trainers. Training for Master Trainers is scheduled from June 9 to June 12, 2026, while training for Field Trainers is expected to begin from the third week of June 2026 on a tentative basis. Two National Trainers have been selected from the Directorate of Census Operations, Assam to conduct cascade training programmes.
Addressing the conference, Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, IAS, stressed coordinated administrative efforts, timely preparedness and public participation for the successful conduct of Census 2027. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India highlighted the importance of technological interventions, self-enumeration and digital monitoring systems to ensure accurate and transparent data collection.
Chief Principal Census Officer of Assam, Biswajit Pegu, IAS, underlined the importance of public cooperation and participation, along with compliance with responsibilities under the Census Act, 1948 and related government notifications, for the successful conduct of the national exercise.
The conference also noted that the Central Bureau of Communication, Government of India, and the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Government of Assam, are jointly coordinating media and publicity campaigns to ensure widespread awareness and participation in Census 2027.
The meeting concluded with discussions on operational strategy, training of census functionaries and awareness generation activities across the state.