India, Dec. 9 -- The registrar general of India (RGI) has asked all states and Union territories to appoint functionaries for the upcoming national Census by January 15, as it gears up to commence the decadal enumeration exercise - the world's largest administrative activity - in two phases starting April 1, 2026.

The RGI has also asked states/UTs to identify enumerators and supervisors - responsible for field data collection - "in advance", noting that each enumerator will be assigned a population of 700-800 while one supervisor will look after the work of six enumerators. It has also asked states to keep 10% additional enumerators/supervisors in reserve for any contingencies.

"The state government/union territory administration are re...