Gandhinagar, Nov 10 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, on Monday, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, launched the newly designed ‘Census Gujarat’ website https://gujarat.census.gov.in/ in Gandhinagar.

Developed by the Directorate of Census Operations for Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, the platform features modern design elements, an easy-to-navigate interface, and multilingual functionality, ensuring smooth and inclusive access for users across the state.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Patel said that the launch of this upgraded website aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of digital governance for public welfare, emphasising that accurate census data forms the backbone of effective policy planning and equitable development.

“The Census-to-Welfare approach perfectly resonates with the Prime Minister’s goal of ensuring balanced growth through evidence-based decision-making,” he noted.

The Chief Minister also lauded the 2027 Census initiative, which will, for the first time in India, be conducted entirely in a digital format using mobile applications.

Highlighting this technological leap, CM Patel said that citizens will soon be able to securely submit their data online through a self-enumeration feature, marking a significant step toward transparency, efficiency, and citizen participation.

He added that the pilot phase of the project will provide valuable on-ground experience ahead of the full rollout.

Sujal Mayatra, Director of Census Operations for Gujarat, provided a detailed overview of the website and upcoming preparations.

He said that as part of the pre-test for Census 2027, rehearsal exercises and mobile app testing have already begun.

The selected pilot regions include 133 blocks in Surat Municipal Corporation, 70 blocks across 26 villages in Devgadh Baria taluka (Dahod district), and 60 blocks across 25 villages in Tankara taluka (Morbi district).

The pre-test exercise will be conducted between November 10 and 30, offering critical insights into digital census implementation.

Present at the launch were Chief Secretary M.K. Das, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Avantika Singh Aulakh, and senior officials from the Gujarat Directorate of Census Operations.

The new ‘Census Gujarat’ website represents a major stride in e-governance, aiming to make demographic data collection more accessible, transparent, and participatory — a move expected to strengthen data-driven governance and targeted welfare delivery in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, Gujarat’s Health Minister Praful Pansheriya announced that over the past 11 years, more than 15.89 crore children across the state have received free health check-ups under the School Health–Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.

Launched in 2014–15, the initiative has provided specialised medical care to more than 2.18 lakh children, including complex procedures such as 1.67 lakh heart surgeries, more than 20,000 kidney treatments, 11,000 cancer treatments, 206 kidney transplants, 37 liver transplants, 211 bone marrow transplants, and 3,260 cochlear implants, all free of cost.

–IANS

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