Pune district is expected to record a 25 per cent increase since the last census, about 10 years ago. In the last census, Pune district had recorded a population of 72.67 lakh. The projected population for the district now is 91.42 lakh. The drive will see the entire population, including foreigners, being covered and will record all data of every individual living in the country.

The government is aiming for a repository of information which will also help them in issuing the Unique Identification Number to every individual, officials said.

The directive came at a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and attended by all district collectors of the state and home secretary, on March 4 in New Delhi.

For Pune, collector Chandrakant Dalvi has been appointed as the principal census officer while the resident deputy collector Anil Pawar has been appointed as the assistant census officer for the district

“The excercise will include 46 officers in-charge including tehsildars, panchayat members, councils members, cantonment board and members from the both the corporations,” said Dalvi on Monday.

To cover 17, 643 blocks, 2,941 supervisors will be appointed while the total staff dedicated for this drive will be around 20, 584. The district administration has 265 master trainers and 244 assistant trainers. The collector said that the drive is under the Census Act 1948 and the national population register is under the Citizens Act 1955.

Under the housing census, the officers will collect building information, quality of the building, facilities, assets possessed by the household and the facilities the household has.

In the national population register, the officers will take the picture of each member of a family with finger prints and detailed information of the family. “Every individual is expected to pass on right information in this drive,” said Dalvi.

On repetition of names, he said that a unique software will check for duplication of names from different states so migration of population will not affect the drive. He has urged all citizens to participate in the drive so that the Unique Identification Card, which will be mandatory, can be issued.