New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): The Central Government will conduct the Census 2027 in two phases, with the first phase focusing on Houselisting and Housing Census and the second phase on Population Enumeration, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said here on Tuesday.

According to the minister, the questions for the first phase of the Census have already been notified. He added that questions for the second phase will be finalised and notified in due course before the commencement of population enumeration.

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Rai further stated that in previous Census exercises, data related to disability was collected during the second phase, and a similar approach is expected for Census 2027 once the questionnaire is finalised.

He said that after finalisation of the second phase questionnaire, detailed instruction manuals and training toolkits will be prepared in consultation with concerned stakeholders. Training sessions will also be conducted for census functionaries, including enumerators and supervisors, to ensure smooth execution of the exercise.

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Highlighting the data collection process, the minister said enumerators will undertake house-to-house visits within their assigned enumeration blocks to gather information.

Additionally, he noted that a provision for self-enumeration will also be available as an optional facility. Under this system, any member of a household can fill in the required details through the designated online portal.

Earlier on March 11, People from across Manipur, under the banner of the Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), staged a protest against the ongoing census process in the state. The demonstration took place at Ima Market in Imphal, where protesters voiced their opposition to the exercise.

The situation turned tense when police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, in which five protestors were reportedly injured.

Naorem Wangamba, Assistant Secretary (Organisation) of the JFD, stated that the organisation is demanding a "Just and Fair Census" coupled with a transparent delimitation process. He emphasised the JFD's demand to defer the ongoing census until illegal immigrants are properly identified, using 1951 as the base cut-off year. (ANI)

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