Odisha to freeze administrative boundaries from July 1, 2025 for upcoming census

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Sunday started the process for ensuing census by freezing the boundaries of the administrative units from July 1, 2025.

According to a notification issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management department, the boundaries of all the administrative units like the district, sub-division, block, tehsil, village and urban local bodies will be frozen from July 1, 2025. Changes in the boundaries of the administrative units are allowed till June 30, 2025, the notification stated.

Official sources said this freeze in the administrative boundaries will ensure that overlapping or conflicting data which could arise from mid-census changes can be avoided. This will ensure consistency during the census period as it requires stable boundaries of the administrative units. Besides, it will also ensure that data collected during the survey is accurate.

The notification was issued in exercise of the powers conferred on the state government under clause (IV) of the rule 8 of the Census Rules 1990 which states that the boundaries will be frozen from a date specified that will not be earlier than one year. The freeze will remain till the completion of the census.

The boundaries of the administrative units can be changed till June 30 to allow any necessary reorganisation for several reasons like population changes, governance needs or disaster management requirements. The notification modifies several earlier directives from 2020 to 2024 so that the administrative boundaries can be set taking into account the evolving needs of the administration as well as the people and the requirement of the census.

Post-census, it will also lead to administrative efficiency because of accurate data collection and the government can make financial provisions as per the requirement of the people.

The notification by the Revenue and Disaster Management department has come days after the Centre decided enumeration of different castes in the census.