Kerala has kicked off the pre-test for India’s first fully digital census, marking a significant step toward the complete digitalisation of the 2027 national enumeration. The trial run is being carried out in selected regions of Palakkad, Ernakulam and Idukki, covering tribal villages, hilly terrains and urban wards to test the system under diverse conditions.
The pre-test includes two major components — house-listing and housing census, followed by population enumeration — all conducted using mobile applications instead of traditional paper forms. Officials will monitor the process in real time through the Census Monitoring and Management System (CMMS) web portal.
The exercise is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and is designed to identify technical issues, streamline procedures and train field staff ahead of the nationwide rollout.
Citizen cooperation has been emphasised, with self-enumeration already completed earlier this month. The pre-test will continue through November in the selected districts.
With this initiative, Kerala positions itself at the forefront of India’s transition to a more accurate, efficient and technology-driven census system, paving the way for a modernised data-collection process for the entire country.
