Enumeration for Census 2011 will begin in Gujarat on April 21. For the first time, a photograph and biometric data — including prints of all the 10 fingers of the hands - of all individuals above 15 years of age will be collected along with primary information about them. Initially, only the primary identification information about individuals will be collected; the photos and the biometric data will be collected at a later date. Anyone refusing to give the information sought by census officials can be fined Rs1,000.

Giving this information, Manish Bharadwaj, director of census operations, Government of India, said that this was the first time that the National Population Register (NPR) programme had been linked to the census exercise.

“Under the Census Act, it is mandatory for citizens to furnish information sought by census officials,” Bhargava said. “Anyone who refuses to give the required information can be fined Rs1,000 by the designated officer.”

Primary information about individuals collected from them will eventually form the database for the building of a National Population Register (NPR). In the first phase of the exercise that begins on April 21, census officials will visit every household in the state with two forms - one for the ‘House-listing and Housing Census’ and the other for personal information (such as name, gender, age etc) for the NPR.

“Individuals will be required to fill the NPR form along with the form for household census,” Bharadwaj said.

Two months after the task of collecting primary information from individuals is over, the work on their photo and biometric registration will begin. “The primary information, biometric data and the photos of the individuals surveyed will be handed over to the Unique ID Authority of India,” he said.

“The authority will scan the data and match it with the national database to avoid duplication.” Bhargava further explained that the authority will then give the UID photo and biometric registration data to local authorities — the gram sabha in the case of villages and ward offices in the case of urban areas — so that people can inspect them.