LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday formally launched the first phase of Census 2027 in the state, beginning the house listing and housing census exercise under the theme “Our Census, Our Development.”Speaking at an event held at the chief minister’s residence, Yogi Adityanath said the census is not merely a population count but an important tool for ensuring inclusive and planned development. He said accurate census data plays a key role in policymaking and implementation of welfare schemes related to infrastructure, education, healthcare and social security.The chief minister said the census would help ensure that all sections of society are included in the development process. He added that in the current era, governance increasingly depends on data-driven decisions.Yogi Adityanath said that, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is conducting a digital census for the first time. In the first phase, authorities will carry out house listing and housing-related data collection.He said residents will have the option of self-enumeration from May 7 to May 21, allowing citizens to submit their details through a digital platform. After this period, census personnel will conduct door-to-door surveys. The second phase will involve enumeration of individuals.The Chief Minister said caste enumeration has also been included in this census exercise. He added that forest villages will be covered in the census process for the first time.Highlighting the use of technology, Adityanath said a dedicated census portal has been developed to improve transparency, speed and monitoring of the process up to the village and ward level.According to the chief minister, Uttar Pradesh has an estimated population of around 25.7 crore. The census exercise will be conducted across 18 divisions, 75 districts, 350 tehsils, 17 municipal corporations, 745 urban local bodies, 21 cantonment boards, 57,694 gram panchayats and nearly 1.04 lakh revenue villages.He said around 5.47 lakh personnel will be deployed for the exercise, including 4.5 lakh enumerators, 85,000 supervisors and 12,000 state and district-level officers. About 5.35 lakh personnel have already been trained for both phases of the census.Adityanath appealed to residents to treat the census as a national responsibility and participate actively by providing accurate information and ensuring that they are counted only once.
