In West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed apprehension over infiltration in the state and the resulting demographic changes. Inaugurating the Principal Census Officers’ Conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, he stated that the previous government had failed to take action on the infiltration issue. He noted that the erstwhile TMC administration did not initiate census operations despite receiving timely letters from the Centre.
The Chief Minister attributed the demographic shift to inadequate fencing along the borders, highlighting that the border districts are the most affected. He emphasized that data collected through census operations would be used for policymaking and for formulating various welfare schemes. He also mentioned that the current state government has already initiated the process of handing over land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Dr. Roshni Kamal, Director of Census Operations for West Bengal, informed the media that this would be the first time census operations would be conducted digitally, allowing citizens to participate through a self-enumeration process. In West Bengal, self-enumeration will take place from August 1 to August 15, 2026. Following this, the Phase-I house-listing operation will be conducted across the state from August 16, 2026, to September 14, 2026. During this phase, enumerators will collect information using a structured questionnaire comprising 33 notified questions.
For census operations, a 24/7 national helpline number (1855) has been made operational. For queries specific to West Bengal, people may contact the Directorate of Census Operations at 033-2335-9503. A dedicated website has also been launched to provide census-related information for the state.
