Hyderabad: Census 2027 is set to begin in Telangana on May 11, with the state government releasing a notification preparing citizens for the first phase of the process.
The preliminary phase of the census, that is, data collection from households, will begin in Telangana on May 11 and continue till June 9, 2026, according to a notification released by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India on Wednesday, April 8.
Citizens are legally bound to answer the questions of their local census officers to the best of their knowledge or belief.
However, individuals are not required to disclose the names of female household members unless necessary, nor is any woman required to mention the name of a person whom custom forbids her from naming, the notification clarified.
Household members cannot restrict officers from accessing their house for data collection purposes and placing visual markers necessary for the census.
During this phase, a schedule is usually left at houses or offices that are required to be filled with particulars. The house member, or officer, must fill the form to the best of their knowledge, sign it and submit it to the census officer in charge of the locality.
Penalties for obstructing census taking
The notification also outlines violations of the census process that may be punishable by fines and imprisonment.
Census officers or authorised personnel who refuse, neglect or fail to perform their duties can face strict action.
Individuals face penalties for actions, including intentionally providing false information or refusing to answer a census officer’s questions, denying an officer reasonable access to a home, removing, damaging or altering official census markers at their residence, failing to complete the required census forms and trespassing in a census office.
These violations are punishable by a fine of Rs 1,000 and, in case of conviction, the penalty includes imprisonment for up to three years.
Separately, whoever abets any offence would be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 1,000, the notification said.
Digital census
Since the upcoming Census 2027 will be conducted digitally, residents have the option of self-enumeration, which will begin from April 26 to May 10. During this time, households may submit their details digitally on the official website before field officers begin house visits.
The state government has appealed to all citizens to cooperate with census officers during their operation in Telangana.
