Nagpur: The countdown to one of the country’s largest exercises began in Nagpur on Monday, with over 250 officials assembling to undergo the first phase of training for the Census of India 2027. The three-day programme from March 23-25 at Zilla Niyojan Bhavan, marks the formal start of preparations for the houselisting phase.Addressing the inaugural session, collector Vipin Itankar emphasised the importance of the exercise, stating that census data forms the backbone of public welfare planning. He urged officials to actively participate and complete all assigned responsibilities on priority. “The census is a national undertaking, and the data collected is crucial for implementing various welfare schemes. All tasks must be carried out with diligence and priority,” he said.The training is being conducted for field trainers and charge officers, who will anchor execution across rural and urban areas. The sessions are designed to familiarise participants with field procedures, digital data collection systems, and operational protocols, including the use of census platforms such as CMMS and HLBC portals.The sessions are being led by master trainers who recently underwent state-level training in Pune on March 14 and 15, with officials from the Directorate of Census Operations, Maharashtra, conducting the programme. Participants include district and city census officers, additional charge officers, clerical staff, and technical assistants.For administrative purposes, the rural segment has been divided into 43 units across 13 tehsils, 29 nagar panchayats, and one Nagpur Cantonment area. Each unit will function under a charge officer responsible for planning and supervision. Within the NMC limits, the exercise has been structured into 10 units aligned with zonal divisions.The training follows a cascade model, where trained officials will subsequently train supervisors and enumerators at the local level. The district is expected to deploy over 4,500 enumerators in rural areas, while the NMC will engage around 6,000 personnel for urban coverage. These teams will conduct door-to-door visits to collect data on housing conditions, amenities, and basic infrastructure.Officials said the training marks a critical step in ensuring uniformity and accuracy in data collection, as the district moves towards full-scale implementation of the census exercise.
