Thu Nov 06 20:30:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten news article based on it:

Summary:

India is gearing up for its first fully digital Population Census in 2027. As a pre-test, a trial phase involving House Listing and Housing Operations will take place from November 10-30, 2025, in select areas. The Registrar General has launched two mobile apps, Digital Layout Map (DLM) and Census 2027-Houselist, to be used by trained enumerators for collecting data. A self-enumeration portal was also available for public testing from November 1-7, allowing residents in pre-test areas to submit details online. The DLM app facilitates digital mapping and geo-tagging of buildings, while the Houselisting app streamlines data collection for housing information. The initiative aims to improve accuracy, speed, and monitoring in the census process, replacing the paper-based methods of the past. The census will also collect information based on the caste of the population for the first time in India.

News Article:

India Launches Digital Apps for Landmark 2027 Census Pre-Test

NEW DELHI – India is taking a giant leap towards modernizing its census process with the launch of two new mobile applications in preparation for the 2027 Population Census, the first to be conducted entirely digitally. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India unveiled the Digital Layout Map (DLM) and Census 2027-Houselist apps this week, signaling a departure from traditional paper-based data collection methods.

The apps will be used in a pre-test phase, focusing on House Listing and Housing Operations (HLO), which runs from November 10th to 30th in select areas across the country. Trained enumerators, including local officials and teachers, will utilize the apps to gather data on housing amenities through a questionnaire of 30 questions.

“This marks a historic transformation in how India conducts its census,” stated a government release. “By moving to a digital mode, we aim to achieve improved accuracy, faster data availability, and enhanced monitoring.”

Prior to the field visits, a self-enumeration portal was open to the public from November 1st to 7th, allowing residents in selected pre-test areas to voluntarily submit their information online through the website.

The DLM app is designed to digitally map and geo-tag all buildings within designated Houselisting Blocks, streamlining the creation of notional sketches. The Houselisting app is designed to improve the speed, accuracy, and reliability of house listing and housing census operations, laying a strong foundation for the upcoming population enumeration phase, the government release said. It will collect location information, descriptions of buildings, and the purpose of each, according to the descriptions.

Both phases of the Census, including the houselisting and the population enumeration, are scheduled to take place between April 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027. Notably, the 2027 Census will also include a count of the population by caste for the first time in Independent India.

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