The exercise was to kickoff at Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Meghalaya on April 1.

New Delhi, Mar 21: The government is exploring the option of deferring the launch of the census and NPR exercise owing to the coronavirus outbreak. The exercises were to begin from April 1 2020 and the centre would now advise the states to defer the same.

Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik in a letter to the Prime Minister said all efforts of the state machinery were directed towards controlling the outbreak of COVID-19.

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Mobilisation for census and concerned activities posed a risk to the field functionaries and the people. I would rather suggest that the scheduled census and related activity be postponed, he had also said in the letter.

After Odisha-Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh backs caste-based census

There is no official word from the Home Ministry on the same. However sources tell OneIndia that an official announcement postponing the exercise may be made in the next two to three days. Officials are however confident that the exercises would be completed before the deadline of September 2020. There is a need to defer it in the wake of the outbreak for now, the officer cited above said.