By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Assam will begin Phase-I of Census 2027 from August 17 to September 15, 2026, while the self-enumeration facility through the official portal will remain available between August 2 and August 16, the state government announced on Monday.
The schedule was finalised after a high-level review meeting on Census preparedness, where authorities examined arrangements related to training, field operations, digital systems, monitoring mechanisms and awareness campaigns ahead of the nationwide exercise.
According to an official statement, Chief Secretary Dr Ravi Kota underlined the importance of administrative coordination and public cooperation for the smooth execution of the Census process. He stated that timely preparation at every level, along with active citizen participation, would be crucial for the successful conduct of Census 2027.
Officials informed that Phase-II, which will focus on Population Enumeration, will be carried out in February 2027 in sync with the rest of the country. The reference date for the exercise has been fixed as March 1, 2027.
As part of the preparatory measures, the Directorate of Census Operations, Assam, has selected two national trainers to conduct cascading training programmes across the state. Besides this, 59 master trainers have been appointed, and their training sessions are scheduled to take place from June 9 to June 12, 2026.
The state has also identified 1,109 field trainers, whose orientation programme is expected to begin in the third week of June. Nearly 83,535 enumerators and supervisors, including reserve personnel, will be engaged during the Phase-I operations across Assam.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India highlighted the significance of technology in Census 2027, noting that digital tools, self-enumeration and real-time monitoring systems would help ensure greater transparency and accuracy in data collection.
Chief Principal Census Officer of Assam Biswajit Pegu appealed to residents to cooperate with officials and actively participate in the process. He emphasised that compliance with responsibilities under the Census Act, 1948, and related notifications issued by the Assam government would be essential for conducting the exercise successfully.
Officials stated that information collected during the first phase would assist both the Centre and the state government in planning housing, infrastructure and essential public services in rural and urban regions.
The review meeting was attended by Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, senior state government officials, district commissioners, municipal commissioners-cum-principal census officers and representatives from the Directorate of Census Operations, Assam.
Census 2027 will be India’s first fully digital Census and will be conducted in two stages -House listing and Housing Census (HLO) followed by Population Enumeration (PE). During the first phase, authorities will gather details related to households, housing conditions, amenities and assets instead of individual-level population data.
Residents of Assam will also have the option to complete self-enumeration online through the official portal before verification is carried out by trained field staff using digital devices.