Shillong, May 15: The first phase of Census 2027 operations in Meghalaya will commence from Saturday with the launch of the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) field operations across the state.
The month-long exercise will continue until June 14, covering all 12 districts of Meghalaya through a fully digital mode of data collection.
A press conference was held today to brief media representatives on the operational framework, preparedness measures, digital methodology and progress of the ongoing self-enumeration activities.
Director of Census Operations in Meghalaya, Biswajit Pegu, informed that 8,309 enumerators and supervisors have been appointed across Meghalaya for conducting the House Listing and Housing Census. A total of 9,950 House Listing Blocks (HLBs) have been finalised across the state for Census 2027 operations.
He stated that the House Listing and Housing Census phase forms the foundation of the entire Census exercise and will collect information relating to housing conditions, drinking water sources, sanitation facilities, household amenities and assets. Enumerators will visit every building and household during the 30-day field operation to ensure complete and accurate coverage.
Enumerators will collect and submit data directly through the official mobile app using their smartphones under the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) framework. The digital system is expected to improve data accuracy, reduce manual errors and enable real-time monitoring of field operations.
Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent geo-tagging and demarcation of all House Listing Blocks across the state during the preparatory phase. The exercise covered all 12 districts, 7,428 villages, and nine towns, ensuring complete readiness for the commencement of field operations. East Khasi Hills recorded the highest number of HLBs at 2,159, followed by West Garo Hills with 1,488 HLBs.
On the self-enumeration process, which ended at midnight on Friday, officials stated that Meghalaya has witnessed encouraging public participation in the process, with West Khasi Hills recording the highest number of self-enumeration entries, followed by East Khasi Hills and West Garo Hills.
Pegu clarified that data submitted through the self-enumeration portal will be physically verified by enumerators during house visits and only verified data will be uploaded through the HLO application.
Officials further informed that extensive training has been provided to enumerators and supervisors on census concepts, operational procedures and the effective use of digital applications for accurate data collection. During the initial days of operation, enumerators will verify House Listing Block boundaries, identify landmarks, prepare layout maps and number buildings and houses before commencing household data collection.
