Homeless won’t be counted in 1st phase of house listing

Daltonganj: Homeless people will not be counted in the first phase of house listing (HL) under the proposed nationwide Census 2026-27. Palamu district census officer Kundan Kumar said on Tuesday that they will instead be covered in the second phase, which involves population enumeration.He emphasised that houseless families are as important as those with homes. "Houseless households fall under the third category of the house listing," he said, adding that the other two categories are normal households and institutional households.Explaining the criteria for classification, Kumar said a "common kitchen" is mandatory for identifying both normal and institutional households. "People living together — whether related or unrelated — will be treated as one household if they share a common kitchen," he said.Clarifying the status of paying guest (PG) accommodations, he said, "If a PG facility is registered, it will be categorised as an institutional household; otherwise, it will be treated as a normal household."A three-day training programme for 61 field trainers involved in the house listing exercise kicked off in Daltonganj on Monday.