New Delhi: The upcoming Census 2027 will collect data on the sex of the head of households under three categories — male, female and transgender — the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written reply, said the Census will be conducted in two phases. The questions for the first phase, which covers the Houselisting and Housing Census, have already been notified.
During this phase, information related to housing conditions, household particulars including the name and sex of the head of the household, amenities available and assets possessed by the household will be collected. Rai said the sex of the head of the household will be recorded under three categories — male, female and transgender.
He added that the questions for the second phase, known as Population Enumeration, where information about each individual will be collected, will be notified later.
Rai said enumerators will carry out house-to-house visits across all enumeration areas to collect Census data and ensure that no one is excluded on any ground.
He explained that the provision for self-enumeration will be offered as an additional facility for respondents to submit their information. However, enumerators will verify the self-enumerated data before final submission.
The minister said the self-enumeration portal will include frequently asked questions, tool tips and validation checks to ensure the accuracy of the data provided by respondents.
He further stated that several measures have been put in place to ensure data security while collecting information on mobile devices, during data transmission and at the server level.
According to Rai, adequate training is being provided to all field officials involved in the Census, including enumerators and supervisors. Validation rules have been built into the mobile application to ensure data consistency and accuracy, while supervisors will monitor and verify the data collected by enumerators.
The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India 2027, which will also include caste enumeration for the first time.
The exercise will be the 16th Census conducted since Independence and will be a fully digital process, offering citizens the option of self-enumeration. The decadal Census, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With PTI inputs