The Odisha government announced that house listing operations for the Census of India 2027 will run across the state between April 16 and May 15, 2026.
The 30-day exercise will involve census staff who will visit households, mark houses, and collect basic information about residential structures and household assets.
Moreover, residents will enjoy the option of self-enumeration. Citizens who want to submit their details independently can do so between April 1 and April 15, 2026, through the official portal.
Officials outlined that the census will take place in two phases. First, the house listing phase will begin in April 2026. Then, in February 2027, the second phase will start with a door-to-door population census to collect demographic details.
In addition, the government will deploy nearly one lakh enumerators across Odisha. Each enumerator will cover around 200 households, while one supervisor will oversee the work of six enumerators. The government will also provide enumerators with an incentive of ₹25,000 for their services.
Preparations already began six months ago. Authorities conducted pre-test surveys in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and they finalized boundaries of the newly formed NACs and municipalities. Furthermore, census staff will undergo structured training over the next three months.
For effective monitoring, the Development Commissioner held meetings with district collectors. Likewise, a state-level Census Coordination Committee met at Lok Seva Bhawan with senior officials, including the Census Director.
Finally, officials confirmed that around 90 per cent of census data will be collected digitally. Citizens who choose self-enumeration must register using OTP-based mobile verification. Each mobile number will work only once, and the system will disable screenshots to safeguard data.
