Punjab Director of Census Operations Navjot Khosa aid that this will be the first census conducted in digital mode using mobile applications on enumerators’ smartphones (Representative image showing a crowd outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar/Unsplash@cobblepot)Punjab Director of Census Operations Navjot Khosa Friday said that census in Punjab will be conducted in two phases — from April 30 to June 13 and from February 9 to 28 next year. He added that comprehensive administrative arrangements have been put in place to ensure its smooth execution, officials said on Friday.While Phase-I will include self-enumeration from April 30 to May 14, followed by house-to-house enumeration from May 15 to June 13, Phase-II or population enumeration, will be carried out from February 9 to February 28, 2027.Khosa said that this will be the first census conducted in digital mode using mobile applications on enumerators’ smartphones, eliminating the need for paper schedules. A self-enumeration feature has also been introduced through a designated online portal, allowing citizens to fill in their details.Upon submission, individuals will receive a unique 21-digit self-enumeration reference ID, which must be shared with the enumerator during field verification. The process will be available in 16 languages and includes 33 questions in the initial phase.Real-time monitoring and management will be carried out through the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), while web-based mapping has been used to create Houselisting Blocks.Manjit Singh Brar, Administrative Secretary, Department of Local Government, Punjab, and State Nodal Officer for Census, said that extensive administrative arrangements have been made. Across Punjab, 51,561 Houselisting Blocks (HLBs) have been created, each comprising 80 to 280 houses and covering a population of about 700–800 persons.Approximately 67,000 personnel have been deployed for the exercise, including 56,544 enumerators and 10,368 supervisors, drawn from school teachers, clerks, and other government officials. Each supervisor will oversee around six enumerators. Enumerators will carry ID cards with QR codes to ensure authenticity and security, and are required to make up to three visits in case a household is unavailable.Story continues below this adTraining of census functionaries has been conducted in a phased and systematic manner. In Punjab, 52 Master Trainers and 932 Field Trainers have already been trained. The training of enumerators and supervisors is ongoing from April 16 to May 9 at multiple locations across the state to ensure readiness.The Census will cover housing conditions, amenities, and assets in the first phase, followed by detailed demographic information-including data on Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and urbanisation trends-in the second phase.Special arrangements have also been made to account for varying weather conditions, including enumeration in snow-bound areas in September 2026. No major changes have been made in the questionnaire compared to the previous census.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:chandigarh