Work in coordination for Census 2027 phase II population enumeration: Maha Chief Secy

Mumbai, Oct 12 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal on Monday directed that all departments in the state should work in coordination to ensure effective planning for population enumeration during the second phase of Census 2027.

He instructed that detailed micro-level planning be undertaken in accordance with the census schedule and that necessary action be taken accordingly. He was speaking at the second meeting of the State-Level Census Coordination Committee.

The Chief Secretary said that the first phase of Census-2027, namely House Listing and Housing Census, had been completed in the state during May-June 2026.

Planning is now underway for the activities under the second phase, including district-level training, timely appointment of enumerators and supervisors, the subsequent stages of training, self-enumeration and the planning of actual fieldwork.

All these activities will be undertaken across the state by March 2027.

Against this backdrop, the Chief Secretary directed all departments to align their respective action plans with the census schedule and maintain the pace of work.

He said that to ensure the availability of additional manpower required for the second phase, instructions have been issued to appoint eligible personnel from the Home Guards, Forest Department, Zilla Parishads and teaching staff, among others, as enumerators and supervisors.

The Chief Secretary also directed the concerned district-level offices to prepare lists of eligible officers and employees and make them available to the respective Census Charge Officers (Tehsildar/Chief Officer/Ward Officer).

The Chief Secretary also said that the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India had notified a list of 40 questions to be asked during the second phase of Census-2027 through a notification dated August 14, 2026.

This notification was republished in the Maharashtra Government Gazette on September 3, 2026. A local-level public awareness plan is being prepared across the state to encourage active public participation in the census.

In addition to this, an appeal will also be made to state government employees to undertake self-enumeration for themselves and their families.

At the meeting, Dr Nirupama J Dange, Director of the Directorate of Census Operations and Joint Secretary to the Government of India, briefed the State-Level Census Coordination Committee on the review of the work undertaken during the first phase, its key findings and the plans for effective implementation of the second phase.

–IANS

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