Chennai, Feb 4 : Tamil Nadu has begun preparations for the Census 2027, with the State government initiating coordination measures to conduct what will be the first fully digital population count in its history.

The process is expected to combine technology-driven self-enumeration with traditional field verification, aiming to make data collection faster, more accurate and transparent.

A State-level coordination committee, chaired by Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, held its first meeting at the Secretariat on Monday to review the roadmap and administrative arrangements.

Discussions focused on inter-departmental coordination, notification of census officers and logistical planning for the large-scale exercise.

According to the Directorate of Census Operations, nearly 1.5 lakh personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, will be deployed across the State.

These officials will conduct the house-listing and housing census, which is expected to begin after the Assembly election.

The exercise will cover every household in urban and rural areas. For the first time, residents will have the option of self-enumeration through an online portal.

Households can register on the platform, fill out their details and complete the questionnaire digitally. Once the form is submitted, a unique identification number will be generated.

When enumerators visit the locality, residents can provide this ID, enabling officials to verify and validate the information using a mobile application.

Each household will be asked 33 questions covering demographic, social and housing-related details. Officials believe the digital system will reduce paperwork, minimise errors and help speed up data processing.

The self-enumeration phase is planned to last around two weeks, after which enumerators will begin a month-long door-to-door verification and house-listing exercise.

The State is also putting strong emphasis on training to ensure smooth implementation. Lead trainers, master trainers, field-level trainers, enumerators and supervisors will undergo structured sessions on the new digital tools and procedures.

All staff members at the Chennai Directorate have already been trained, and select personnel have been prepared as national trainers to support capacity-building across districts.

Officials said the census will play a crucial role in shaping welfare schemes, infrastructure planning and resource allocation. With extensive preparations underway, Tamil Nadu aims to deliver an efficient, technology-enabled census that accurately captures the State's population and housing profile.

/IANS