Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu

Publication of the HLO Questionnaire in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette.

Tamil Nadu has notified the dates for Self-Enumeration and Houselisting Operations. Self-Enumeration shall be conducted from *17th July 2026 to 31st July 2026* . HLO shall be conducted from *1st August to 30th August 2026*

A State-level online video conference was conducted today with all District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners, to brief on the preparatory activities for Census 2027. The meeting was chaired by Shri M. Saikumar, IAS, ACS/CRA and State Nodal Officer, who highlighted key action points for effective and timely implementation.
Shri M. Sundaresh Babu, IAS, Director of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu, delivered an in-depth technical presentation on the Census legacy, statutory framework, salient features of Census 2027, and the integration of advanced digital technologies and various preparative activities that need to be taken for Census 2027.
All District Collectors and Commissioners of Municipal Corporations actively participated and Collectors of Tiruvallur and Krishnagiri shared valuable feedback and field-level experiences from the Pre-test exercise. The meeting was attended by all Senior officers of the Census Directorate.
The meeting formally marked the commencement of Census 2027 preparations in Tamil Nadu.

The first meeting of the State Level Census Coordination Committee for Census 2027, Tamil Nadu, was held today (02.02.2026) at the Secretariat, Chennai, under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu. Sri M. Sundaresh Babu, IAS, Director of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu, briefed the Committee on the activities and preparations for Census 2027.

In connection with the National Road Safety Month – January 2026, A Road Safety Awareness Programme was conducted today in the Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu, in the presence of the Director, Sri M. Sundaresh Babu, IAS. All officers and officials participated actively and took the Road Safety Pledge, reaffirming their commitment to responsible road behaviour. The programme also featured a Road Safety Quiz to reinforce key safety messages. Officers from the Chennai City Traffic Police, delivered enlightening talks on road safety norms, traffic discipline, and accident prevention. The programme served as a meaningful platform to sensitise officials on the importance of road safety.

A three-day in-house training programme for all officers and officials of the Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu is being conducted from 20.01.2026 to 22.01.2026. Sri M. Sundaresh Babu, IAS, Director of Census Operations, in his inaugural address, explained the Census process, its objectives and importance. He highlighted the key features of Census 2027, including it being the first digital Census, the provision for Self-Enumeration, Caste Enumeration, and the tentative timeline for House Listing Operations (HLO) in Tamil Nadu. He also emphasized the training cascade and the need for thorough knowledge of various portals to ensure effective district-level training, and encouraged the participants to actively interact, clear their doubts, and gain maximum knowledge from the sessions. The felicitation address was delivered by DRGs Sri J. Lincoln Gnanadas and Sri S. Lingasamy. Subsequently, four National Trainers took over to impart the training to the participants.

Directorate of Tamil Nadu has officially inaugurated its book stall at the 49th Annual Chennai Book Fair, aimed at promoting literature on the historical evolution of the Indian Census and educating the public on the upcoming Census 2027.
The stall is formally inaugurated today by Shri M. Sundaresh Babu, Director. The ceremony is attended by Sri J. Lincoln Gnanadas, Deputy Registrar General and other officers of DCO.

A one-day training session on the Pre-test of District Census Hand Book (DCHB) was conducted at DCO, Tamil Nadu on 27.11.2025. Lead trainers Shri S. Chinnadurai, Joint Director, and Ms. Suba V. K., Deputy Director, imparted the training. All nominated officers attended the session with keen attention to all the modules.

A State-Level Inter-Departmental Coordination Committee (IDCC) meeting was convened on 25.11.2025 under the chairmanship of Dr. P. Senthilkumar, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government. Shri M. Sundaresh Babu, IAS, Director of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu , along with other senior officers, participated in the meeting. Dr. A. Somasundaram, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, presented an overview of the status of Vital Statistics and the Civil Registration System in Tamil Nadu. The Director of Census Operations highlighted the importance of the timely submission of Annual Reports and emphasized the need for prompt implementation of the instructions issued by the Registrar General of India.