‘Collective national duty’: PM Modi urges citizens to participate in census

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to participate actively in the ongoing census, highlighting digital self-registration and its importance for reliable demographic data. Over 32 crore families have been recorded, while more than 2.6 crore people have completed self-enumeration online

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his latest ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, highlighted the ongoing national census exercise and appealed to citizens to actively participate in it, describing the census as a collective national duty.

He noted that the first phase of the initiative is nearly complete, with data for over 32 crore families already recorded in the country.

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The Prime Minister shared that census operations have progressed even in remote and snow-bound regions of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand, yielding several inspiring experiences.

In Uttarakhand, the process began at Mana village in Chamoli district, widely regarded as the country’s first village, starting with 83-year-old Purnima Rawat. In Bhagori village of Uttarkashi, Hardev Singh Rana, who runs a homestay, personally entered his family’s details using the digital platform, demonstrating the ease of the system.

Recalling his Independence Day appeal on August 15, the Prime Minister reiterated his call to citizens to spare some time for the census.

He emphasised the convenience of the self-registration facility, which allows people to enter information about themselves and their families directly from their mobile phones. The service is available in 16 languages, including Hindi. To self-register, citizens need to visit the official online census portal at ec.census.gov.in. After logging in with a mobile number, users enter their location, fill in family details and submit the information, he said. The entire process takes about 15 to 20 minutes and requires no document uploads.

Upon submission, a unique ID is generated; once the submitted information is verified, it becomes part of the official census record, he further said.

The Prime Minister informed that more than 2.6 crore people have already used their mobile phones to complete the self-enumeration process.

He encouraged the remaining citizens to utilise this digital option and contribute to building an accurate national database.

Stressing the importance of comprehensive participation, PM Modi said the census strengthens planning and welfare schemes by providing reliable demographic data. He expressed confidence that with continued public cooperation, the exercise would be completed successfully across all regions of the country.