Mumbai | The self-enumeration phase of the Census will commence in Maharashtra from May 1, marking the start of India's first fully digital population count, officials said here on Thursday.

Nirupama Dange, Chief Principal Census Officer and Director of Census Operations for Maharashtra, said the exercise is part of a broader shift towards a digital governance system, with mobile applications and an online portal being deployed to ensure real-time data collection and improved accuracy.

Citizens opting for self-enumeration have been advised to use only the official website https:e.census.gov.in and avoid responding to any SMS that does not contain the keyword "RGICEN", officials said at a media interaction held on the eve of the exercise.

The self-enumeration process will be conducted from May 1 to May 15, followed by the house listing and housing census from May 16 to June 14, during which enumerators will carry out door-to-door visits, preferably in the morning or evening, covering around eight to ten households daily.

Once individuals complete their online submission, an 11-digit unique identification number beginning with the letter 'H' will be generated, which must be preserved and shared with enumerators during their visits, the officials informed.

To facilitate the Census, the state has frozen the jurisdictional boundaries of districts, talukas, cities and villages from January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, with a gazette notification issued on July 15, 2025.

Another notification to operationalise Census activities was released on February 26, 2026.

A workforce of around 2.64 lakh field personnel, including enumerators and supervisors along with 10 per cent reserve staff, will be deployed after undergoing training, while Census Monitoring and Management System portal will be used for large-scale supervision and data handling, officials said.

Enumeration will be carried out across slum and non-slum areas using pre-defined maps, while migratory populations will be counted in their place of work under the de facto method, they added.

Officials clarified that Census entries are made at the household level and do not serve as legal documents.

The follow-up phase involving ward-wise population counting will be conducted next year, they said.