Mizoram prepares census count that will include refugees

Mizoram wants to become India's first state to finish Census 2027. Officials have outlined inclusion rules and staff training plans for the second phase.

Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena chaired a state-level meeting on preparations for population enumeration. The Hindu reported on October 10, citing officials, that the discussions covered training and field arrangements.

Meena urged staff to ensure accurate and comprehensive data. He said the second phase would demand more work than the first and that the findings would support policymaking and the Viksit Bharat 2047 programme.

Deputy Director of Census Operations Jamil R. Swer explained the second-phase procedures and proposed training arrangements. Training for master trainers, field trainers, enumerators and supervisors is due to finish in November. Each enumerator is expected to cover roughly 800 people.

Officials said all 16 Scheduled Castes in the state would be counted, along with refugees living in Mizoram. Being recorded in the census would not give refugees Indian citizenship.

Residents who do not want to disclose their Aadhaar numbers must not be forced to do so. People excluded for any reason from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision must also be included in the census.

The central government has allocated 19.19 crore rupees for the second phase. Completing the exercise ahead of other states remains the Mizoram government's target, rather than an outcome it has already achieved.