Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has said that the upcoming population Census will be conducted in two phases, starting with the counting of residential units, called House Listing Operation (HLO), followed by Population Enumeration (PE).

The first phase of the HLO will be held from April to September this year, while the second phase of PE will take place in February 2027, a government release stated on Friday, February 13.

The state government had recently issued a notification appointing Census Officers to carry out this important exercise in accordance with Section 4 of the Census Act 1948, and Rule 3 of the Census Rules 1990, it added.

The government said that census officers are expected to discharge their duties with sincerity and responsibility to ensure the exercise is carried out smoothly, accurately and within the stipulated timeline.

It described the census as the country’s largest administrative and statistical exercise, and urged residents to extend full cooperation to officials and actively participate in the process.

“In pursuance of a notification issued by the Government of India on January 7, the Gujarat government has re-notified the period for conducting HLO.

According to a state notification dated February 2, fieldwork for the House Listing Operation will be conducted from April 20 to May 19, 2026. Before the commencement of fieldwork, a self-enumeration (SE) exercise will be conducted for 15 days from April 5 to April 19, 2026,” the release said.

This digital self-enumeration phase will precede the house-to-house survey, and it aims to facilitate public participation and improve accuracy of data, it added.

During the self-enumeration period, residents will have the opportunity to submit their information digitally, with officials stating that this step is expected to make the process more convenient and inclusive.

“Following the self-enumeration phase, trained enumerators will visit each household during the fieldwork period to collect information in a systematic manner. In the HLO phase, data will be collected on the condition of houses, as well as on assets and basic facilities available to families. The house-to-house survey will cover households across the state,” the release said.

All information collected during the census will be kept strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes as mandated under the Census Act 1948, officials said.

Data generated through the census would play an important role in planning and policy formulation, and contribute to shaping the development trajectory of both Gujarat and the country, they added.