Amit Shah unveils mascots ‘Pragati’ and ‘Vikas’ for India’s first digital Census | India News

New Delhi: Ahead of the April 1 census 2027, Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched four digital tools for the country’s first digital census and unveiled two census mascots – ‘Pragati’, a female enumerator and ‘Vikas’, her male counterpart. The four digital platforms include a self-enumeration portal that will allow respondents to submit their household information online 15 days before commencement of field operations in their respective states/UTs. They can self-count in 16 languages. The mascot ‘progress’ and ‘development’ will act as the friendly, relatable face of Census-2027, as well as a symbol of equal participation of women and men in fulfilling the ambition of making India a developed nation by 2047, the Home Ministry said in a statement. Through these mascots, information, objectives and key messages related to Census 2027 will be disseminated to various sections of the society in an effective and citizen-friendly manner.The four advanced digital platforms soft-launched by Shah on Thursday have been developed by the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). These include Houselisting Block Creator (HLBC) application, Houselisting Operation (HLO) mobile application, Self-enumeration portal and Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal.This calibrated adoption of technology combines innovation with inclusion, ensuring that the 2027 census remains accurate, secure and comprehensive, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.HLBC is a web-map application that enables charge officers to digitally create houselisting blocks, using satellite imagery, to ensure standardized, geographical coverage across the country. HLO is a secure, offline mobile application that collects and uploads houselisting data for enumerators. It enables direct field-to-server data transmission, eliminating traditional paperwork. All houselisting data will be collected through this app, which can be managed using registered mobile number only. The application is compatible with Android and iOS platforms and can be operated in 16 regional languages.The self-enumeration portal is a secure web-based facility that allows eligible respondents within a household to submit their household information online within 15 days of commencement of field operations. After successful submission, a unique Self Enumeration ID (SE ID) will be generated. This SE ID will be shared with the calculator based on which they will be able to verify the information. CMMS A portal Centralized, web-based digital platform designed to plan, manage, execute and monitor all census-related activities across administrative levels. Sub-district, district and state level officials can track enumeration progress, field performance and operational readiness in real-time through an integrated dashboard.Census data will be collected using secure mobile applications and door-to-door visits. Full coverage will be ensured by employing 30 lakh enumerators, supervisors and other census officers across the country.Several senior officials including the Union Home Secretary and the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India were present during the launch of the Census 2027 mascot and digital platform.More than five years after postponing the decennial exercise to 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, the Center had on June 16, 2025 communicated its intention to conduct Census 2027. Census-2027, to be conducted in 2 phases, is the largest census exercise in the world. While the first phase of the census, housing and household enumeration, will be conducted from April 1 to September 30, 2026, states can choose a 45-day period within this six-month period, with the population enumeration phase likely to be conducted in February 2027. During Phase 1, data on housing conditions and household amenities will be collected while Phase 2 will record demographic, social and economic details of each individual in the country.The reference date for the 2027 census will be 00:00 hrs on 1 March, 2027 for all states and union territories, except the UT of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where the reference date will be 00:00 hrs.