Census 2027 Phase II: Maharashtra Chief Secy directs coordinated planning
Synopsis
Maharashtra has kicked off serious groundwork for the second phase of Census 2027, with Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal personally chairing a coordination meeting and ordering all departments to align with the census calendar. With Phase I done and 40 official questions already notified, the state faces a tight window to train enumerators and complete fieldwork by March 2027.
Key Takeaways
Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal directed all departments to coordinate for Census 2027 Phase II on 12 October 2026 .
Phase I (House Listing and Housing Census) was completed in Maharashtra during May–June 2026 .
All Phase II activities — training, enumeration, and fieldwork — must be completed by March 2027 .
Eligible personnel from Home Guards , Forest Department , Zilla Parishads , and teaching staff to be appointed as enumerators and supervisors.
The Registrar General notified 40 questions for Phase II on 14 August 2026 ; republished in the Maharashtra Gazette on 3 September 2026 .
A local public awareness campaign and self-enumeration drive for state government employees is being planned.
Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal on Monday, 12 October 2026, directed all state departments to work in close coordination to ensure effective planning for population enumeration during the second phase of Census 2027. The instruction came at the second meeting of the State-Level Census Coordination Committee in Mumbai, signalling the state's push to keep the national headcount on schedule.
Where Phase I Stands
Aggarwal confirmed that the first phase of Census 2027 — covering House Listing and Housing Census — had been completed across Maharashtra during May–June 2026. The state now moves into a more complex and operationally demanding second stage that requires multi-department synchronisation.
Key Activities Planned for Phase II
Planning is currently underway for a range of activities under the second phase, including district-level training, timely appointment of enumerators and supervisors, subsequent training stages, self-enumeration, and the actual fieldwork on the ground. All these activities are scheduled to be completed across the state by March 2027.
To meet the additional manpower requirement, Aggarwal said 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. District-level offices have been directed to prepare lists of eligible officers and make them available to the respective Census Charge Officers — Tehsildar, Chief Officer, or Ward Officer — as applicable.
The 40-Question Framework
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India notified a list of 40 questions to be asked during Phase II through a notification dated 14 August 2026. This notification was subsequently republished in the Maharashtra Government Gazette on 3 September 2026. A local-level public awareness plan is being prepared across the state to encourage active participation, and state government employees will be specifically urged to undertake self-enumeration for themselves and their families.
Review and Road Ahead
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 findings from the first phase and outlined plans for effective implementation of the second. With all departmental action plans now expected to align with the census schedule, Maharashtra's administrative machinery faces a critical window to prepare for one of the country's most significant data-gathering exercises in recent years.
Point of View
But the operational stakes are high. India's last census was delayed by several years, making the 2027 exercise a politically and statistically significant reset — the data will shape constituency delimitation, welfare scheme targeting, and GDP per capita calculations for the next decade. The reliance on Home Guards and teaching staff as enumerators reflects a structural manpower gap in government field operations that has not been resolved. The 40-question framework notified by the Registrar General is also notably more detailed than past questionnaires, raising genuine questions about whether a March 2027 deadline is realistic for a state as large and administratively complex as Maharashtra.
NationPress
12 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Census 2027 Phase II in Maharashtra?
Census 2027 Phase II refers to the population enumeration stage of India's national census, in which enumerators visit households to record demographic data using a set of 40 officially notified questions. In Maharashtra, this phase is planned to be completed by March 2027, following the completion of Phase I (House Listing) in May–June 2026.
What did Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal direct at the coordination meeting?
He directed all state departments to align their action plans with the census schedule, maintain the pace of work, and prepare lists of eligible personnel to serve as enumerators and supervisors. He also emphasised district-level training and public awareness as priorities for Phase II.
Who will serve as enumerators for Census 2027 in Maharashtra?
Eligible personnel from the Home Guards, Forest Department, Zilla Parishads, and teaching staff, among others, are being appointed as enumerators and supervisors to meet the additional manpower requirement for Phase II.
What are the 40 questions notified for Census 2027 Phase II?
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India issued a notification on 14 August 2026 listing 40 questions to be asked during the second phase. The notification was republished in the Maharashtra Government Gazette on 3 September 2026; the full list of questions is available through the official gazette.
By when must Phase II activities be completed in Maharashtra?
All Phase II activities — including district-level training, enumerator appointments, self-enumeration, and actual fieldwork — are scheduled to be completed across Maharashtra by March 2027.
