More than 60,000 people in Gujarat have registered on the Centre's digital self-enumeration portal for the upcoming Census 2027, Chief Secretary M.K. Das said on Tuesday, 19 May, after completing the process himself by submitting his family's details online. The initiative marks a significant shift in how India's decennial headcount is being conducted, allowing citizens to bypass traditional door-to-door visits and submit household data digitally.

What the Self-Enumeration Drive Involves

The online self-enumeration portal, launched by the Centre, enables citizens to enter household and family details directly through a digital interface. Chief Secretary Das described the system as 'extremely simple and transparent,' adding that the response in Gujarat had been 'encouraging.' He appealed to government officers and employees across the state to participate and encourage wider public involvement.

'The entire process of population census will become much faster and more precise because of this new digital facility,' Das said, also crediting the central government for integrating technology into the exercise.

Senior Leaders Join the Campaign

The drive has drawn participation beyond the bureaucracy. State Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi completed his self-enumeration through the online portal, submitting his family's details under the campaign. Separately, State Women and Child Welfare Minister Manisha Vakil also used the portal to complete her family's details and urged citizens to cooperate. 'All citizens should extend their cooperation to the self-enumeration campaign being conducted across the country,' Vakil said.

Census 2027 Timeline for Gujarat

According to the official schedule, the self-enumeration window opened on 17 May and runs until 31 May. The first phase — House Listing Operations — will be conducted across all 34 districts and 17 municipal corporations in Gujarat through door-to-door enumerator visits from 1 June to 30 June. The second and final phase, covering full population enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027. Officials noted that Gujarat's census exercise was rescheduled after local body elections delayed the original timeline.

Broader Context: India's Push Towards a Digital Census

The self-enumeration drive is part of the Centre's wider digitisation of public services and administrative processes. India's last census was conducted in 2011; the 2021 exercise was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making Census 2027 the first headcount in over 15 years. A digital-first approach is expected to improve both coverage and data accuracy, though the door-to-door phase remains integral for households without digital access. With Gujarat's early participation figures crossing 60,000, officials are optimistic about replicating the momentum nationally.