Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Thursday reviewed preparedness for Census 2027, with Chief Secretary Anu Garg chairing the second meeting of the State Coordination Committee at Lok Seva Bhavan.
Opening the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, outlined the progress of Census 2027 and the ongoing House Listing 2026 exercise. Director of Census Operations, Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, presented a detailed status report, covering timelines, operational planning and field-level readiness.
Senior officials including Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Housing and Urban Development ACS Usha Padhee, Finance Principal Secretary Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, and School and Mass Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary N. Tirumala Naik attended the meeting. Revenue Divisional Commissioners, District Collectors and Municipal Corporation Commissioners joined virtually.
The meeting was informed that the self-enumeration facility under the Census programme commenced on April 1 and will remain open till April 15 midnight, allowing citizens to submit their details online through the designated portal. This will be followed by a door-to-door enumeration drive from April 16 to May 15, during which trained enumerators will verify and finalise the data collected.
Officials said the self-enumeration system is expected to significantly accelerate data collection. On the first day of the exercise, around 17,000 people in Odisha submitted their information online. District Collectors have also led by example by completing their own self-enumeration and encouraging government employees to participate.
The Chief Secretary directed all departments to ensure maximum participation of officials and staff in the self-enumeration phase. She also stressed coordinated efforts across departments and district administrations for the timely completion of the first phase—house listing and numbering.
The Census Directorate briefed the meeting on key operational aspects including data usage protocols, manpower deployment, training arrangements, accuracy in data capture, and the use of digital devices to ensure seamless execution of the exercise.
Reiterating the importance of inter-departmental coordination, Garg urged all stakeholders to extend full cooperation to ensure the smooth and timely conduct of Census 2027.
