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 on Thursday, the PTI reported. 

Shift towards digital governance

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.