Assam Freezes Administrative Boundaries Ahead of Upcoming Census

As Assam prepares for the 2026 census, the state will freeze its administrative boundaries starting January 1. This decision comes amid significant changes in administrative units since the last census. The census will be conducted digitally for the first time, allowing for faster data collection. However, challenges remain in remote areas with slower internet connections. The initial phase will involve house listings, followed by the creation of enumeration blocks. With trial runs already successful, the state is gearing up for a comprehensive census operation.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 31, 2025, 10:12 IST

Census Preparations Underway in Assam

Guwahati, Dec 31: Starting January 1, Assam will officially freeze the boundaries of its administrative units to facilitate the upcoming census activities. Any modifications to these boundaries must be finalized by the end of the day.

According to official sources, the Directorate of Census had planned to conduct house listings from April to September 2026. However, the State Chief Secretary suggested postponing this until after August 15 due to the upcoming State Assembly elections and the monsoon season.

Preparations for this extensive census are in full swing, with significant changes in administrative units since the last census. Several villages have been upgraded to towns, and some towns have transitioned into municipal areas, all of which will need to be accounted for during the census.

The initial phase will involve house listings, followed by the establishment of enumeration blocks.

Each enumeration block will typically encompass around 800 households, although this number may be lower in hilly or remote regions. According to the census guidelines, most enumerators will be school teachers.

This census will be notable for being conducted digitally for the first time. Enumerators will utilize an app to record data, which will be directly uploaded to the central database, significantly speeding up the process.

In previous censuses, data was manually recorded on paper and later sent to district headquarters, which often resulted in delays.

Sources indicated that a trial run of the digital census was successfully conducted in three locations: Dibrugarh, Hailakandi, and Donkamokam in Karbi Anglong.

However, it was noted that in remote areas with slower internet connections, there might be delays in uploading the enumeration results to the census app.