Bhubaneswar: The Union government on Thursday notified 33 questions for the upcoming Houselisting and Housing Census, scheduled to be conducted from April 1 to September 30, 2026. The exercise will form a key preparatory phase of the next national Census and aims to create a comprehensive database on housing conditions, household amenities, and assets across the country.
According to officials, the census will map details of buildings, including their use, construction materials, ownership status, and condition. It will also collect information on basic household amenities such as sources of drinking water, lighting, latrine facilities, drainage, and cooking fuel. In addition, the questionnaire includes data points on household assets ranging from bicycles, two-wheelers and cars to televisions, computers, smartphones, and internet access.
New elements have been added this time, including questions on the main cereals consumed by households and the availability of internet connectivity, reflecting changing consumption patterns and digital penetration. However, the houselisting phase will not collect information related to religion, income, education levels, caste, or citizenship.
The government has stated that the exercise will be fully digital, with enumerators using handheld devices for data collection. This approach is in line with the earlier plan for Census 2021, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data generated from the houselisting operation is expected to play a critical role in planning welfare schemes, urban and rural infrastructure, housing policy, and delivery of public services for India’s population of over 1.4 billion.
Supporters of the initiative have described it as a move toward evidence-based policymaking and more targeted welfare interventions. However, some experts and critics have pointed out gaps, particularly the absence of education-related data, which they argue is crucial for long-term social and economic planning.
The Houselisting and Housing Census is conducted ahead of the population enumeration phase and serves as the foundation for accurately identifying households and living conditions across the country.
-OdishaAge
