The first phase of Census 2027, House Listing and Housing Census, will begin in Kerala from July 1 to July 30. However, a 15-day optional self-enumeration phase, during which all 33 household-related questions can be answered online before enumerators visit houses starting July 1, will begin on June 16.

This was jointly announced on Monday by K Biju, State Nodal Officer for Census 2027, and Mithra T, Director of Census Operations and Chief Principal Census Officer for Kerala.

Self-enumeration is being done for the first time in the country, and is also why Census 2027 is billed as the first "digital Census' in the country. After this, from July 1, the 30-day 'Houselisting and Housing Census' phase, officially abbreviated as HLO phase, begins. During this period, information on housing conditions, amenities, and assets will be collected.

Census field workers
Approximately 61,282 enumerators and 10,189 supervisors, mostly teachers, have been identified across Kerala to visit the 'houselisting block', a cluster of 200 houses demarcated using a web-mapping application and assigned to them for data collection.

These enumerators can save time if the questions are filled during the 15-day self-enumeration phase. This can be done through the portal, which will open at 6 am on June 16. The enumerators, when they arrive for the HLO phase, can also clarify any issues households faced during the self-enumeration phase. They will also help fill in the blanks left during the self-enumeration process.

Self-enumeration is optional
Even if self-enumeration is not done, the details will be collected when enumerators begin their visits from July 1. "If self-enumeration is done, life can be made easier for the enumerators," K Biju said. Upon successful submission in the portal, an 11-word unique Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID) will be generated, which has to be shared with the enumerator during the field visit, which begins on July 1. While enumerators will continue to conduct house-to-house enumeration in their allocated blocks, as in previous censuses, self-enumeration is an additional facility being provided for the first time.

How self-enumeration is done
Access SE Portal. Log in using your mobile number. Identify the location on the map. Fill Household Details. Submit Information. Receive SE ID. The portal opens at 6 am on June 16.

HLO questions
The Centre has notified 33 questions for the House Listing and Housing Census. Four of them - line number, building number, household number and census house number - will be automatically generated. Otherwise, the information sought from household members is divided into four: 'condition of the house', 'amenities available to the household', 'household information', and 'assets possessed by the household'.

Under the 'condition of the house', information will be sought in five areas.
One, 'predominant material of the floor of the census house'. Two, 'predominant material of the wall of the census house'. Three, 'predominant material of the roof of the census house'. Four, 'ascertain use of census house'. Five, 'condition of the census house'.

'Amenities available to the household' has nine questions.
One, main source of drinking water. Two, the availability of a drinking water source. Three main sources of lighting. Four, access to a latrine. Five, type of latrine. Six, wastewater outlet. Seven, availability of bathing facility. Eight, availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection. Nine, main fuel used for cooking.

Eight questions are used to gather 'household information'.
One, household number, which will be auto-generated. Two, the total number of persons normally residing in the household. Three, the name of the head of the household. Four, sex of the head of the household. Five, whether the head of the household belongs to SC/ST/Others. Six, ownership status of the census house. Seven, the number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household. Eight, the number of married couple(s) in the household.

It is by identifying seven kinds of possessions that 'assets possessed by the household' is aggregated.
One, radio/transistor. Two, television. Three, access to the internet. Four, laptop/computer. Five, telephone/mobile phone/smartphone. Six, bicycle and scooter/motorcycle/moped. Seven, car/jeep/van.

Then there is a standalone question. 'Main cereal consumed in the household'. In all, there are 33 questions. In addition to these, the head of household's mobile number is also requested for "census-related communications only".

Locked houses
If a house is locked, the enumerator has been advised to visit the house again. Mithra said that enumerators have also been asked to collect phone numbers from neighbours, contact household members, and then arrive at a mutually convenient time within the specified period (July 1 to 30) for the enumeration process. But even after all attempts, the house still remains locked, it will be recorded as 'locked'.

Tenants
The occupant or family will have to provide the details. One of the questions is 'ownership status of the census house'. Here it can be stated: 'rented'. In the first phase, only the condition of the houses is being recorded.
"What matters is the place where you are dwelling at this moment, when this exercise is carried out," State Nodal Officer K Biju said. Headcount is not taken; it is left for the second phase, which begins in February 2027.

Hostellers and NRIs
Students staying in hostels will provide information about the institutions that lodge them. Those living away from home for work will have to provide information about the places they rent. Non-resident Indians, even if they are the head of a household in the country, will not be part of the census exercise. Students who had flown out of India for education will also not be included.

Households have been divided into two categories for census purposes: normal and institutional. Hostels, old-age homes, and orphanages fall under institutional households.

Only those who are ordinarily resident in a household will be listed under the question 'total number of persons normally residing in the household'. This means a son or daughter who has left his/her home to study, or a head of household whose job has taken her away from her home, will not be included in the list of household members. Their information will be collected in areas where they ordinarily reside, say a hostel or a rented house.

"If a person lives and sleeps in two houses, she has to provide information of the house in which she spends more time among these," said Mithra T, the Chief Principal Census Officer for Kerala. "The objective is to avoid duplication and omission," she said.

Migrant workers
They will have to provide information about the place where they reside. If, for instance, a migrant worker lives in a dormitory with 15 people, he or she has to provide details about the facility he or she shares with 14 others.

Second Phase: Caste census
The second phase, known as the Population Enumeration (PE) phase, is scheduled for February 2027. It will focus on capturing detailed demographic, socio-economic, cultural, migration, and fertility-related information of individuals across households. As decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, enumeration of Castes will also be done during the second phase of the Census. Until the 2011 Census, the exercise included the systematic enumeration of only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Reference Date
The Reference Date for Census 2027 has been set to 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027. This will be the cut-off moment for the census exercise. The number of people present in the country, including foreign tourists, at that moment will be considered as India's population.

Can a citizen non-cooperate?
Providing incorrect information or failing to cooperate with Census officials is an offence under the Census Act, 1948. Under Section 8, sub-section (2) of the Census Act 1948, every citizen is legally bound to answer to the best of his knowledge or belief. Nonetheless, Section 11(1)(d) says that the maximum penalty could be a fine of ₹1000.