District Collector Launches Census Drive, Urges Public Cooperation
Anantapur District Collector O. Anand on Friday officially kicked off the household and housing census drive in Polepalli village, Brahmasamudram mandal. The Collector underscored the critical link between reliable data and effective governance, calling on residents to provide accurate details to enumerators who will be visiting homes in the coming days. Information gathered, including family size, property ownership, and access to basic amenities, is slated for collection and will be kept confidential, according to officials.
This census, marking a significant shift as it is entirely digital, follows a gap of nearly 15 years since the last enumeration. The move aims to streamline data collection and improve the efficacy of welfare schemes and infrastructure planning. The District Collector emphasized that the collected data is intended solely for administrative and developmental purposes.
Calls for Honesty and Civic Duty Amidst Digital Shift
Officials are stressing the importance of complete and truthful reporting. Residents have been encouraged to have relevant documents ready and to verify their responses before enumerators finalize entries. Providing false information, authorities warn, could lead to certain communities being overlooked in future governmental planning and resource allocation. This participation is framed as a fundamental civic responsibility, with assurances that individual data will remain private and not be used for individual scrutiny or benefit under Section 15 of the Census Act.
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The census structure involves designated roles at the district level, with the Collector acting as the Principal Census Officer, the Joint Collector as Additional Census Officer, and the District Revenue Officer (DRO) as the District Census Officer.
Broader Census Context and Self-Enumeration Initiatives
This initiative aligns with broader census operations across other states. In Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has also urged public cooperation for the 'Census-2027', highlighting a self-enumeration portal available from April 1 to April 15 for citizens to submit their details digitally prior to door-to-door surveys. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu registered his details online, launching the self-enumeration process for the house listing and housing census on April 16.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, has reiterated the need for accuracy and assured confidentiality, noting that individual data cannot be used as evidence or for individual benefits. The first phase, focused on house listing and housing, is set to be followed by population enumeration in the subsequent year. Training sessions for enumerators are also underway, with instructions to address public misconceptions and ensure meticulous data gathering.
