Jharkhand on Saturday began the house-listing and housing Census survey under the first phase of Census 2027 after receiving a limited response to the self-enumeration process conducted earlier this month.
According to data released by the Census Directorate, 1,88,743 people in the state completed self-enumeration between May 1 and May 15 through the online portal.
Ranchi recorded the highest participation with 50,569 self-enumerations, followed by East Singhbhum with 20,374 and Hazaribagh with 11,914.
Director of Census Operations, Jharkhand, Prabhat Kumar, said the relatively low participation in self-enumeration could be attributed to lack of awareness and willingness among people despite ongoing awareness campaigns.
The house-listing and housing Census survey will continue from May 16 to June 14, during which enumerators will visit households and collect information digitally through mobile applications.
Officials said the first phase would cover details related to housing conditions, household amenities and assets, while the second phase, involving population enumeration, would be conducted in February 2027.
Around 76,000 officials and employees, including enumerators and supervisors, have been deployed for the exercise across 24 districts, 264 blocks and 51 urban local bodies in the state.
Officials said enumerators would ask 33 questions related to housing, drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel, internet access, household assets and other socio-economic indicators.
The Census Directorate said all personal information collected during the exercise would remain confidential under provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990.
Authorities also clarified that enumerators would neither seek OTPs nor ask citizens to share any digital links during the survey process.
The Directorate has issued instructions to district administrations and residential societies to ensure enumerators are allowed entry into apartment complexes and gated colonies without obstruction.
A toll-free helpline number 1855 has also been set up for public assistance related to Census 2027.