Maharashtra Census 2027: Data confidential, door-to-door verification mandatory, say officials

PUNE: Self-enumeration for Census 2027 began on Friday across the state with senior officials stating that data protection and physical verification will remain central to the exercise, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.

Nirupama J Dange, joint secretary to Government of India and chief principal census officer for Maharashtra, said that the individual or household data collected is confidential as per Section 15 of Census Act, 1948, and it is not open to inspection.

“It cannot be produced as evidence in any court and therefore, cannot be misused,’’ she added.



Digital records will be preserved till the next census as per rules after tabulation and processing, and the anonymised data records will protect the identification ofindividual-level data. However, correction or deletion of data is not possible after final submission by the enumerator and the supervisor.

“Confidentiality of the data is ofhigh importance and hence is exempt even under RTI,” Dange added.

She clarified that while self-enumeration is encouraged as part of Digital Census2027, it is not mandatory. “Enumerators and supervisors will visit every house without omission, collect the self-enumeration IDs and confirm the data before uploading it,” Dange said, underlining that physical enumeration will be indispensable in rural, tribal and low-connectivity regions.

The population enumeration phase will start in Feb 2027, except for regions expecting snowfall in winter, which will be surveyed this Sept. Dange said the population enumeration has a strict definition for inclusion. Residents of hostels, paying-guest accommodations, shared flats and gated communities will be covered under this framework.

All household residents available during the enumeration period will be included. Visitors staying for the entire duration will also be included provided they are not enumerated elsewhere.

ONE HOUSEHOLD, ONE FORM & ONE CELLPHONE NUMBER

Important Dates

• Self-enumeration window: May 1 to May 15, 2026
• Door-to-door visits: May 16 to June 14, 2026

Census 2027 Phase I

The 33 questions were notified under Section 8(1) of the Census Act, 1948. Information will range from structural details of houses and household composition to access to basic amenities and ownership of assets, for a comprehensive snapshot of living conditions across urban and rural areas.

Self-entry in Marathi, Hindi or English

Questions:

1. Building number (Municipal or local authority or census number)
2. House number
3. Floor material
4. Wall material
5. Roof material
6. Use of house
7. Condition of the house
8. Number of people normally residing in the household
9. Name of the head of the household
10. Sex of the head of the household
11. Whether the head of the household belongs to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Others
12. Ownership status of the house
13. Number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household
14. Number of married couple(s) in the household
15. Main source of drinking water
16. Availability of drinking water source
17. Main source of lighting
18. Access to latrine
19. Type of latrine
20. Waste water outlet
21. Availability of bathing facility
22. Availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection
23. Main fuel used for cooking
24. Assets possessed by the household & other information
25. Radio/Transistor
26. Television
27. Access to the internet
28. Laptop/computer
29. Telephone/cellphones/smartphone
30. Bicycle/scooter/motorcycle/moped
31. Car/jeep/van
32. Main cereal consumed in the household
33. Cellphone number (for census-related communications)

HOW TO ENTER INFORMATION

FOR SMOOTH COMPLETION

• Use accurate and final information (some fields cannot be edited later)
• Mark the exact location on the map
• Review all details before final submission
• Keep your cellphone handy for the OTP