Indian census workers now have to revisit homes,adjust data. Officials flagged discrepancies between field reports and government records. Issues like open defecation,utility access. Letter from Rajasthan's Director of Census Operations (DCO) started this .
June 2 letter told Charge Officers to verify block-level data on Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) against reality. Highlighted problems like marking "open defecation" for many households.
Other issues: recording old fuels like wood,dung for homes with LPG in cities . Noting few chose "tap water from treated source" for drinking. Wrongly marking "within premises" for natural water sources .
More inconsistencies: marking "no lighting," showing internet access in homes without phones. Enumerators,some are teachers or anganwadi workers,shared these on social media. Shows stark poverty.
Some say they're pressured to change data. An anonymous Rajasthan worker said, "We enter tin roof in app,superiors say change to concrete. Are we to lie?"
Another from Uttar Pradesh told to find nearby toilets,even public ones,to avoid marking "open defecation." Entry then changes to "having access to a toilet."
Senior Census official addressed DCO letter,saying it ensures accurate records. "Discrepancies found after field checks by Charge Officers,Sub-Divisional Census Officers,Principal Census Officers,District Coordinators,Census Directorate,etc., must be fixed."
Data quality shouldn't suffer from ambiguity,lack of clarity,or biases.
Enumerators face challenges like poor mobile connectivity in villages,low recharge allowance of ₹66. Rekha Devi,head of anganwadi union in Uttarakhand,questioned managing door-to-door work with regular duties.
Residents often mistake enumerators for aid workers,ask for help with government schemes like LPG,water,or housing. Uttar Pradesh enumerator noted many homes lack basics like roofs,doors,walls.
This is India's first digital Census. Around 32 lakh enumerators using personal phones,mobile app . Houselisting Operations (HLO) phase began April 1,asks 33 questions on housing,ends September 30.
Field operations monitored real-time. Each worker covers 120 to 150 homes,representing 750 to 800 people.
Discrepancies arise amid official data. By August 13, 2025,government declared 5,66,068 of 5,86,944 villages Open Defecation Free (ODF) .
