Pune: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday dismissed allegations in the state assembly that census officials were forced to purchase new smartphones due to an “Android-12” requirement. In a written reply, the chief minister said such claims were unfounded and confirmed that the first phase of Census 2027 has been successfully completed using 100% digital data collection.The issue was raised through a starred question by MLAs Ramdas Masram, Vijay Wadettiwar, Nana Patole, Amin Patel, Aslam Shaikh, and others. The opposition had alleged that the digital system compelled teachers, particularly those in rural and economically weaker regions, to buy expensive new devices, and that the assignment during summer vacations had disrupted academic duties.Responding to these concerns, Fadnavis said the central govt had decided, for the first time, to conduct the house listing and housing census via a dedicated mobile application. He clarified that while enumerators were instructed to use their own devices, provisions were made for exceptional cases. In such instances, physical forms could be used and later uploaded through the Census Monitoring and Management System (CMMS) portal.Regarding the workload, the Fadnavis said the assignment did not disrupt academic work. Each enumerator was tasked with visiting only 180–200 households over a 30-day period — a workload manageable through brief daily field visits. He further highlighted that each enumerator received a remuneration of Rs9,000 for their services.“The first phase of the census in Maharashtra was conducted between May 16 and June 14, 2026, and 100% of the data collection was completed digitally,” Fadnavis informed the House.Rejecting the claim that teachers were bearing an unfair financial burden, he reiterated that the “Android-12” specification did not mandate compulsory purchases, as the system was designed to be flexible and supported by a manual override via the CMMS portal when necessary.
