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 until the next census as per rules after tabulation and processing, and the anonymised data records will protect the identification of individual-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 of high importance and hence is exempt even under RTI,” Dange added.She clarified that while self-enumeration is encouraged as part of Digital Census 2027, 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.
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:
- Building number (Municipal or local authority or census number)
- House number
- floor material
- wall material
- Roof material
- Use of house
- Condition of the house
- Number of people normally residing in the household
- Name of the head of the household
- Sex of the head of the household
- Whether the head of the household belongs to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Others
- Ownership status of the house
- Number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household
- Number of married couple(s) in the household
- Main source of drinking water
- Availability of drinking water source
- Main source of lighting
- Access to latrine
- Type of latrine
- Waste water outlet
- Availability of bathing facility
- Availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection
- Main fuel used for cooking
- Assets possessed by the household & other information
- Radio/Transistor
- Television
- access to the internet
- Laptop/computer
- Telephone/cellphones/smartphone
- Bicycle/scooter/motorcycle/moped
- car/jeep/van
- Main cereal consumed in the household
- Cellphone number (for census-related communications)
HOW TO ENTER INFORMATION
| Steps | action | details |
| STEP 1 | REGISTRATION | go to https://se.census.gov.in; Select State |
| STEP 2 | HOUSEHOLD REGISTRATION | Enter head of household’s name, which cannot be changed; Ten-digit cellphone number (only one per household); Email ID is optional |
| STEP 3 | LANGUAGE & OTP VERIFICATION | Choose your preferred language from Marathi, Hindi or English (no changes allowed later); Enter the OTP sent to your registered cellphone number |
| STEP 4 | LOCATION DETAILS | Fill in district, pincode, village, town, locality |
| STEP 5 | LOCATE RESIDENCE ON MAP | Drag the red marker to pinpoint your exact home; Confirm your location |
| STEP 6 | COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE | Fill all required details under houselisting, housing, census questionnaire; Use tooltips/FAQs if needed |
| STEP 7 | PREVIEW & REVIEW | Double check all entries; You can edit details, save draft for later or proceed and submit |
| STEP 8 | FINAL SUBMISSION | Click “Final Submit” to lock data; No changes allowed after submission; You will receive a unique 11-digit self-enumeration ID via SMS/email |
| STEP 9 | ENUMERATOR’S VISIT | Enumerator will visit your home between May 16 and June 14, 2026; Share your SE ID; If details match, the data will be confirmed; If not, fresh data will be collected |
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
