Bhubaneswar, Jan 8: Odisha will launch the first phase of the census in April 2026, engaging nearly one lakh enumerators. The final population count is scheduled for February 2027, a senior official said on Wednesday

Director of Census Operations in Odisha, Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, shared the update after attending the State-level Census Co-ordination Committee meeting chaired by Development Commissioner D.K. Singh.

Kalyan said the initial phase will involve house listing and housing census operations over a one-month period between April and May 2026. This foundational step will be followed by the primary population enumeration from February 9 to February 28, 2027, with a brief revision round in early March to ensure comprehensive coverage.

Preparations for the mammoth exercise are already underway. Each enumerator will cover approximately 200 households, accounting for nearly 800 individuals. Training sessions for enumerators and supervisors are scheduled for January through March 2026. To incentivise participation, each enumerator will receive a financial honorarium of ₹25,000.

Officials said that pre-test surveys have been successfully conducted in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. With boundaries of newly declared notified area councils (NACs) and municipalities finalised, logistical hurdles have been addressed to ensure smooth operations.

Significantly, the census will be largely digital, with around 90 per cent of data expected to be collected online. Citizens will also have the option to self-enumerate by registering on the official census portal using an OTP-based mobile verification system. To safeguard data integrity, each mobile number can be used only once, and features such as screenshots from the app will be disabled.

Kalyan emphasised that the digital-first approach is aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and security in data collection. “This census will not only provide an accurate population count but also reflect the evolving technological capabilities of governance,” he said.

The census, considered the largest administrative exercise in the country, will provide critical data for policy-making, welfare schemes, and developmental planning in Odisha and beyond.