The Bihar government held a crucial meeting to review preparations for the 2027 census, focusing on pre-testing procedures. The meeting, led by Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, brought together the State Level Census Coordination Committee (SLCCC), formed to facilitate coordination and oversight among various government departments involved in the census.
Departments represented at the meeting included General Administration, Revenue and Land Reforms, Education, Finance, Planning and Development, Social Welfare, Panchayati Raj, Urban Development and Housing, Rural Development, Information and Public Relations, and Information Technology. District Magistrates from Sitamarhi, Nawada, and Saran also participated.
The meeting extensively discussed the structure of the upcoming 2027 census, with a particular focus on the pre-testing phase.
Key decisions and discussions encompassed:
1. Deliberations on the jurisdictional areas of the 534 rural and 263 urban administrative units within Bihar.
2. The Census Directorate clarified that no changes to administrative boundaries would be permitted from December 31, 2025, until the completion of the census on March 31, 2027, in line with the state government’s Boundary Freezing notification.
3. The 2027 Census will be conducted in two phases. The first phase, from April to September 2026, involves house listing and enumeration, to be completed within 30 days. The second phase is the actual enumeration, scheduled for February 9-28, 2027.
4. The 2027 Census will be entirely digital for the first time. Discussions centered on:
* Updating administrative units through a portal for jurisdictional changes.
* Utilizing the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal to generate appointment letters, ID cards, and digital charge registers for supervisors and enumerators, as well as for monitoring and overseeing census work.
* Preparing House Listing Blocks (HLBs) and Digital Layout Maps (DLM).
* Providing self-enumeration options for citizens.
5. A multi-tiered training program is planned, with training at five levels for subject matter experts, national trainers, master trainers, field trainers, enumerators, and supervisors.
6. Pre-testing will be conducted in three charges of Bihar in October-November 2025. This will involve the first-time use of a mobile application to evaluate the Questionnaire, CMMS portal, HLO and PE mobile app, DLM Mapping App, and HLB Creator Portal.