New Delhi, March 5 (AHN) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft-launched four digital tools and formally unveiled the mascots -- "Pragati" (female) and "Vikas" (male) -- for the upcoming Census-2027.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) developed advanced digital platforms to facilitate enumeration operations across India, the Home Ministry said.

"Census-2027, to be conducted in 2 phases, is the world's largest census exercise. For the first time, the Census will be conducted digitally, and for the first time, the option of Self-Enumeration will be available," it said.

The mascots “Pragati” and “Vikas” are intended to serve as friendly, relatable faces of Census-2027, symbolising the equal participation of women and men in fulfilling the resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047.

Through these mascots, information, objectives, and key messages related to Census-2027 will be disseminated in a citizen-friendly manner across diverse sections of society, the ministry said.

Along with the mascots, the Home Minister also soft-launched four digital tools developed by the C-DAC to support enumeration operations across the country.

One of the key platforms is the Houselisting Block Creator web application, which allows officials to digitally create houselisting blocks using satellite imagery.

This tool will help ensure proper geographic coverage and improve the accuracy of mapping for the census process.

Another important tool is the HLO mobile application, a secure offline app that will be used by enumerators to collect houselisting data directly from households.

The application will allow field workers to upload data digitally, reducing the need for paperwork.

For the first time, the government is also introducing a Self-Enumeration portal that will allow eligible members of a household to submit their details online before field operations begin.

After submitting the information, households will receive a unique Self-Enumeration ID, which can later be verified by the enumerator during the survey process.

The fourth platform, the Census Management and Monitoring System portal, is a centralised digital system that will help authorities plan, manage and monitor all census-related activities.

Officials at sub-district, district and state levels will be able to track the progress of enumeration and field operations in real time through an integrated dashboard, according to the ministry.