2 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Mar 19, 2026 07:35 AM IST
Choice of foodgrains for a family, access to the internet, ownership of smartphones, laptops and computers, source of drinking water, and type of toilet in the house — these are among the 33 questions to be asked during the house listing operations (HLO) to be carried out across Odisha from April 16.
The HLO, considered the first phase of the Census, will be conducted in the state from April 16 to May 15. Over one lakh enumerators — mostly primary school teachers — and more than 17,000 supervisors will be engaged, officials said. Each enumerator will be assigned about 200 households comprising roughly 700–800 people.
Enumerators will also seek the mobile number of the head of the family (for census-related communication) during the process.
Some of the questions include whether the household belongs to SC/ST families or others, whether the house is owned or rented and in a liveable condition, the fuel used in the kitchen, whether the family has an LPG/PNG connection, and the source of lighting.
“Trained enumerators and supervisors will visit households and collect data during the 30 days period. Prior to this, a provision for self-enumeration will be available from April 1 to midnight of April 15 through which citizens can also submit their own information,” said Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, director, Census Operations, Odisha.
Kalyan said the directorate, in coordination with the district administration, is fully prepared for the house census process, and training of officials for the enumeration exercise has been completed. The house listing operations will be conducted through field visits using a mobile application.
This will also be India’s first digital census, and the first time a provision for self-enumeration has been introduced. “The data submitted through self-enumeration will be verified again by enumerators during field visit,” said Kalyan.
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As the Centre has asked states to conduct the house listing operations anytime between April and September, Odisha is among 16 states where it will commence in April.
Phase two, involving Population Enumeration (PE) — the collection of demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details — will begin on February 1, 2027.
