Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Census Operations Director Nikhil Pavan Kalyan on Tuesday expressed confidence that the first phase of the state’s house-listing census will wrap up on schedule, stating that household enumeration is targeted for completion by September 14.
Kalyan stated that Phase 1 operations are advancing smoothly throughout the region and have crossed the halfway mark. He also highlighted that the initial self-enumeration exercise was successfully conducted between August 1 and August 15.
The Director noted that following the strong momentum achieved in Odisha, similar activities will also be undertaken in West Bengal once Phase 1 concludes, after which administrative focus will immediately transition toward Phase 2 preparations.
“We conducted the self-enumeration exercise from August 1 to August 15, and the current process has been underway since August 16. The house-listing work under Phase 1 is proceeding smoothly; we have reached the halfway mark and are confident that–just as we successfully completed the task in Odisha and other states–we will finish counting all households by September 14 and then begin planning for Phase 2,” Kalyan stated speaking to news agency ANI.
He elaborated that operations under his joint oversight in West Bengal completed early Phase 1 tasks in May, moving into post-enumeration work like District Census Handbooks, with Odisha now set to mirror those follow-up procedures before launching full Phase 2 setup.
These field operations follow the central government’s formal notification in the Gazette of India on June 16, 2025, declaring its intent to execute Population Census 2027. To support the massive nationwide exercise, the Union Cabinet sanctioned a dedicated financial outlay of Rs 11,718.24 crore.
The Phase I (House listing and Housing Census) is slated to take place between April and September 2026. Each state and Union Territory is allocated a flexible 30-day window based on local administrative convenience, preceded by a 15-day self-enumeration option right before field enumerators begin door-to-door visits. This initial leg captures crucial data regarding structural housing conditions, household amenities, and asset ownership, establishing the baseline framework for the subsequent count.
Phase II (Population Enumeration) is set for February 2027 to record detailed individual demographic, socio-economic, cultural, migration, and fertility data.
Following a Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) decision, a comprehensive caste enumeration will also be integrated into this second phase.
Meanwhile, for Ladakh along with snow-bound, non-synchronous zones in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, Phase II field activities will be conducted earlier, in September 2026.
