Agartala, July 31: Tripura will begin the first phase of India's first fully digital Census on August 1, marking a major shift from paper-based data collection to a completely digital system using mobile applications and a web portal.

Addressing a press conference in Agartala on Friday, Director of Census Operations Ratan Biswas said the month-long House Listing and Housing Census will continue from August 1 to August 30. Nearly 8,000 census officials and enumerators have been trained and deployed across the state's eight districts to carry out the exercise.

The census will be conducted under the theme "Accurate Data, Right Development – The Foundation of a Prosperous India."

During the first phase, enumerators will visit every household to collect information on the condition of houses, availability of basic amenities, and household assets.

Biswas appealed to residents to cooperate with census officials by providing accurate information. He assured that all data collected would remain strictly confidential under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, adding that advanced digital security measures have been put in place to safeguard the information.

He clarified that residents will not be required to produce any identity card or government document while responding to census questions. The information collected will be used solely for census purposes and not for any other activity.

Each enumerator will carry an official census kit, identity card and appointment letter to enable people to verify their credentials.

The census questionnaire will consist of 33 questions covering four major areas-- House Details (type of house and materials used in its construction), Family Information (Name of the head of the household, number of family members, and whether the house is owned or rented), Basic Amenities (Availability of drinking water, electricity, toilets, drainage facilities, and cooking fuel) and Household Assets (Ownership of televisions, computers, internet connections, mobile phones, and vehicles).

Biswas said census data plays a crucial role in enabling the government to formulate more effective policies and development programmes in sectors such as education, healthcare, housing and employment. It also helps ensure equitable allocation of public funds and better targeting of welfare schemes to genuine beneficiaries.

He urged the media and the public to help spread awareness about the census and extend full cooperation to census workers throughout the month-long exercise.

The press conference was also attended by Director of Economics and Statistics Devananda Reang, Joint Director of the Census Department P. N. Choudhury, and other officials from the Census and Economics & Statistics departments.