Door-to-door household surveys as part of Census 2027 began in Mumbai on Saturday across 19,401 blocks formed in the city.
A senior civic official of the health department said, “All officials began their work on field on Saturday. Until 2011, enumerators worked with hard copies of maps and lists for the household survey. This year, enumerators are required to manoeuvre and complete the survey on their mobile phones.”
Notably, the enumerators are using their own handsets for this survey. In a press conference organised on April 29, mid-day had asked officials about measures in place for enumerators who did not have smartphones. A senior official had said, “We have noted that every enumerator has a smart mobile phone.”
When asked if enumerators were provided with devices which could simplify the process, an official said, “This is a decision to be taken at the central government level. During the training organised for enumerators, we educated them about the use of the HLO mobile application.”
As per an official PIB note, the survey began on Saturday. Dr Daksha Shah, executive health officer, BMC, told mid-day, “Each of the 25,000 enumerators and supervisors were on field today.
Field officers were supervised by supervisors. It is mandatory for supervisors to be on field, so everyone was on field today. While some officials carried out their preliminary surveys to understand their area, others coordinated with their field officers. I was myself on field all day. Same duties will be carried out on Sunday.”
BMC has assigned 24,500 personnel for the enumeration survey of the household listing process as part of Census 2027. These include officials from the health, education, license, sanitation, and general administration departments.
Mandatory process for citizens
>> It is mandatory for citizens to give information to Census officials. Census of India Act 1948 makes provisions for census officers to access houses and ask questions.
>> Section 7D. officials authorised by the Central Government may enter into any premises for gathering data for the Census
>> Section 8: A census officer is allowed to ask questions to gather information for was the Census
>> Section 9: Citizens should allow reasonable access to information for Census officers
>> In case anyone refuses to disclose information, or misbehaves with officials, they can be fined R1000, or be imprisoned for a maximum of three years as per the Census Act
Paint (demographics) by numbers
19,401 No. of blocks mapped across the city by BMC
200 No. of households in each block
800 Approx no. of people in each block
1 No. of enumerators assigned per block
