India begins 1.2 billion population headcount

[katharnak]

New Delhi: Some 2.7 million officials fanned out across the country Wednesday to begin the mammoth exercise of headcounting India's estimated 120 crore (1.2 billion) people, with President Pratibha Patil being the first citizen to be enumerated here.

The nationwide exercise, which will continue over the next three weeks, began as a group of officials, called enumerators, visited the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Census enumerator Rita collected information on a number of characteristics about the president's household.

Pratibha Patil signed off on a 29-point questionnaire listing income, religion, education, access to basic utilities and other topics. A similar form will be filled by every citizen of the country through Feb 28.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Minister of State for Home Affairs Gurudas Kamat, Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli and Director Census Operation (Delhi) Varsha Joshi were present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Speaking after her enumeration, the president asked everyone to "wholeheartedly" take part in the census, considering it "as a national duty".

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi also provided the details about their respective households to the enumerators.

The family members of governors and chief ministers were among those enumerated on the first day of the second phase.