More than 2.36 lakh residents of Gujarat have enrolled in the state's self-enumeration campaign for Census 2027, with participation spanning Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, cabinet ministers, senior bureaucrats, and ordinary citizens, officials confirmed on Wednesday, 27 May. The drive, running from 17 May to 31 May, allows residents to submit their census details digitally ahead of the formal enumeration scheduled for next year.

City-wise Participation

Ahmedabad leads the state with over 42,000 registrations, followed by Surat at 22,000, Vadodara and Anand at 16,000 each, Rajkot at 14,000, and Mehsana crossing 11,000 participants. The data underscores urban centres as the primary drivers of early uptake, though officials are pushing for broader rural reach before the deadline.

How the Self-Enumeration System Works

Census Director Sujal Mayatra said the response had been encouraging and urged citizens to complete the process before 31 May. The portal is accessible exclusively through a designated QR code, and upon completion, each respondent receives a unique SE ID that must be shared with the field enumerator during the official visit. The data is subsequently verified before being incorporated into the central database.

The system supports 16 languages, including Gujarati, and is available in both online and offline modes through Android and iOS applications — a first for any Indian census exercise. 'If maximum citizens across the state fill the self-enumeration forms from home using technology, along with providing accurate information, it will reduce the workload on census employees and increase the speed of work,' Mayatra said.

Department-wise Mobilisation

To accelerate numbers ahead of the deadline, all employees under the Health and Education Departments are scheduled to complete their forms on 29 May, while personnel from the Police Department will do so on 30 May. Mayatra confirmed that government employees would participate in large numbers over the final two days of the campaign.

Two-Phase Census Schedule

The full census exercise will unfold in two phases. The first — House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) — will be conducted in Gujarat from 1 June to 30 June, covering housing conditions, drinking water sources, toilet facilities, and household assets across 33 questions. The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), is scheduled from 9 February to 28 February 2027, during which the caste census exercise will also be completed.

Officials stressed that all information collected under the Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990 is strictly confidential and cannot be used for legal or taxation purposes. Providing false or incomplete information carries a penalty under law.

With the deadline less than a week away, the Directorate of Census Operations is banking on departmental mobilisation to push participation figures significantly higher before the window closes.