Chennai, July 18:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday appealed to the people of the state to participate in the self-enumeration for Census 2027 as it was the key to implementation of future developmental projects in the state.
In an appeal through a social media post, he said this was not merely numbers. The information being provided by you forms the basis for all developmental projects.
Stating that self-enumeration could be done online, Vijay said he has done it and urged the people to make full use of this facility and complete their self-enumeration, while emphasizing that the Census is a vital national exercise that provides reliable data for evidence-based policymaking, efficient governance and development planning.
The Chief Minister said secrecy would be maintained in all the details provided by the people.
“Come, let’s complete this successfully. The population census is for the welfare of the people”, he added.
The self-enumeration facility under India’s first-ever fully digitalized Census commenced in Tamil Nadu on Friday.
The 16th National Census is being conducted across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2026. In Tamil Nadu, the field operations will be carried out from August 1 to August 30, 2026, with the deployment of more than 1,50,000 personnel.
Sundaresh Babu requested the citizens to extend their full cooperation to the field workers during their door-to-door visits, emphasizing that precise data collection is vital for the socio-economic development of the state and the formulation of robust public policies.
During the housing census, detailed information regarding housing conditions, drinking water facilities, sanitation, electricity, internet connectivity, cooking fuel, and vehicle ownership will be compiled. This crucial dataset will serve as the foundation for developmental planning at the national, state, and local body levels.
As India’s first digital census, this transition marks a historic milestone that will significantly enhance data accuracy and speed up processing times. Replacing traditional paper schedules, dedicated mobile applications will be used for real-time data collection, streamlined by an integrated online platform—the Census Monitoring and Management System (CMMS), he said.
The self-enumeration facility, which allows citizens to securely fill in their details online, will remain active for 15 days from today to July 31, 2026. All households in Tamil Nadu are encouraged to securely complete their self-enumeration by visiting the official portal: https://se.census.gov.in/. As the submitted information will directly integrate into the official national database, the public is requested to ensure the utmost accuracy of the details provided.
Upon successful completion of the self-enumeration process, a unique identification number will be generated. Citizens must present this ID to the enumerators when they visit their homes. Households that do not opt for self-enumeration will be covered during the regular physical enumeration phase scheduled from August 1 to August 30, 2026.
Addressing privacy concerns, the Director assured that a robust three-tier security mechanism has been implemented across mobile devices and server networks to protect personal data. The public is advised to strictly use only the official website to prevent any fraudulent activities.
This year’s census marks the 8th census of Independent India, taking place 15 years after the previous census in 2011. The exercise is being conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, supported by an advanced digital framework.