Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Oct 27: The Government of Goa has announced the commencement of the pre-test for Census 2027, which will be held from November 10 to 30, with self-enumeration beginning a week earlier, from November 1 to 7.

According to an official notification issued by the Directorate of Planning and Statistics, the North and South Goa District Collectors have been appointed as Principal Census Officers to oversee the pre-test in their respective districts.

The Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) has selected Corgao village in Pernem taluka and Margao municipal area in Salcete for the pre-test exercise. Around 27 teachers and government employees will serve as enumerators and supervisors during the operation.

Officials said the pre-test is a crucial step in refining the overall Census 2027 process, serving as a trial run to evaluate questionnaires, data collection methods, logistics, training, printing processes, and data quality. The exercise will also help identify any potential field challenges ahead of the full Census.

The upcoming Census will be conducted in two phases, alongside the enumeration of castes. The first phase, covering house-listing operations, will be held between April and September 2026, while the second phase, involving population enumeration, is scheduled to begin in February 2027.

Officials described the pre-test as an important groundwork step to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and preparedness for India’s massive population survey in 2027.