By next year, individuals may be able to go to the Census of India portal and by filling in their mobile numbers get exclusive access to view their own database by using a One Time Password and participate in the Population Enumeration exercise. The Population Enumeration follows the Housing Census within a gap of six to eight months which counts each and every person in the country, Indian national or otherwise, along with his or her individual particulars and information on social, cultural, demographic, economic and other aspects.
Amid the resistance by states to the National Population Register, the government is planning to empower individuals to fill details online during the Population Enumeration exercise next year, a senior census official said.
The census operations are carried out in two phases—the houselisting and housing census and the population enumeration. This time, the entire census operations are spread over three phases, which also includes the National Population Register. The houselisting and housing census will be accompanied by the NPR and will start in April. The last phase—the crucial population enumeration exercise—will be conducted next year. It is during this phase that the government is thinking of making the facility online to provide the option to individuals to fill their details on their own.
The data processing division of the office of the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner is working to make the census portal accessible to individuals to see their own data, fill up relevant columns through a One Time Password that can be generated using the mobile. Once the individual has fed in the OTP, he or she will be able to see his own database and fill in the form for population enumeration with the click of a button. Codes will be displayed on the screen to fill in the various options given in the population enumeration form which will have 28 questions.
Sources said the government has given an in principle approval to the idea and the programme is in the research stage. The office of the RGI and census operations has experts who are working on it and once it is rolled out next year, it will not only lessen the burden of the enumerators but will also provide the much needed relief to the government which is finding it hard to explain to individuals why details like their Aadhaar card number and various other information is being sought.
“Whoever wants to share their mobile, Aadhaar details and other information will be able to do so with the online facility. Why should they suffer if they want to share their database with the government to avail various benefits of government schemes and programmes?,” said a government official.
Sources said that even while the online option will be made available during the population enumeration exercise, the personal visit of the enumerators will still be carried out where they will confirm the details filled up by an individual using the online facility.
''It is not possible to make it completely online as the facility does not exist everywhere. But it will definitely empower individuals and shorten the time taken by the enumerators during their visits,'' said the official. Not to forget, the digitisation of the exercise may help the government circumvent the politics gripping the enumeration exercise.
