VOL. LXI No. 59 TUESDAY 24th MARCH, 2026/ 3rd CHAITRA, 1948 (SAKA)
UNION TERRITORY OF LAKSHADWEEP ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
COLLECTORATE
KAVARATTI- 682555
(Telephone No.04896 262384, e-mail ID: [email protected])
F.No.A/28/02/2026-COL/306 Dated:16.03.2026
NOTIFICATION
In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, read along with the provisions of Section 2(41) of the said Act, the Hon'ble Administrator of Lakshadweep is pleased to authorize the District Collector as the Authority for the purpose of Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
This is issued with the approval of Hon'ble Administrator of Lakshadweep vide Diary
No.416 dated.14.03.2026.
-Sd- (Dr. Giri Sankar, IAS) District Collector2 THE LAKSHADWEEP GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY LAKSHADWEEP ADMINISTRATION (Directorate of Planning, Statistics and Taxation) Secretariat, Kavaratti - 682555
NOTIFICATION
F.No. LD-02002(01)/1/2026-PST-PS&T Dated: 23.03.2026
In exercise of the powers conferred under the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948) and in pursu- ance of the instructions issued by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, the Lakshadweep Administration hereby notifies the following information for the awareness of the general public in connection with the conduct of Census of India 2027.
(i) Utility of Census Data
The Census is the primary source of data up to the lowest administrative units, i.e. villages in rural
areas and town/wards in urban areas on Housing Condition; Amenities & Assets, Demography,
Literacy, Religion, Economic Activity, Migration, Fertility etc.
It is widely used for planning and formulation of policies and effective Public Administration by the Central/State/UT Governments. Apart from this, Census data are used for delimitation and reservation of Constituencies for Parliamentary, Assembly, Panchayats and other Local Bodies. Thus, the public are to cooperate in census taking and provide the correct information. Some of the important provisions in the Census Act, 1948 are reproduced below for information of the public.
(ii) Section 8 – Asking of questions and obligation to answer
1. A census-officer may ask all such questions of all persons within the limits of the local area for which he is appointed, as by instructions issued in this behalf by the Central Government and published in the Official Gazette, he may be directed to ask.
2. Every person of whom any question is asked under sub-section (1) shall be legally bound to answer such question to the best of his knowledge or belief:
Provided that no person shall be bound to state the name of any female member of his household, and no woman shall be bound to state the name of her husband or deceased husband or of any other person whose name she is forbidden by custom to mention.
(iii) Section 9 – Occupier to permit access and affixing of number
Every person occupying any house, enclosure, vessel or other place shall allow census-officers such access thereto as they may require for the purposes of the census and as, having regard to the customs of the country, may be reasonable, and shall allow them to paint on, or affix to, the place such letters, marks or numbers as may be necessary for the purposes of the census.
(iv) Section 10 – Occupier or manager to fill up schedule
1. Subject to such orders as the Census Commissioner may issue in this behalf, a census- officer may, within the local area for which he is appointed, leave or cause to be left a schedule at any3 THE LAKSHADWEEP GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY dwelling-house or with the manager or any officer of any commercial or industrial establishment, for the purpose of its being filled up by the occupiers of such house or of any specified part thereof or by such manager or officer with such particulars as the Census Commissioner may direct regarding the inmates of such house or part thereof, or the persons employed under such manager or officer, as the case may be, at the time of the taking of the census.
2. When such schedule has been so left, the said occupier, manager or officer, as the case may be, shall fill it up or cause it to be filled up to the best of his knowledge or belief so far as regards the inmates of such house or part thereof or the persons employed under him, as the case may be, at the time aforesaid, and shall sign his name thereto and, when so required, shall deliver the schedule so filled up and signed to the census-officer or to such person as the census-officer may direct.
(v) Section 11 – Penalties
1. (a) Any census-officer or any person lawfully required to give assistance towards the taking of census who refuses to perform any duty imposed upon him by this Act or any rule made thereunder, or any person who hinders or obstructs another person in performing any such duty, or
(aa) any census-officer or any person lawfully required to give assistance towards the taking of a census who neglects to use reasonable diligence in performing any duty imposed upon him or in obeying any order issued to him in accordance with this Act or any rule made thereunder or any person who hinders or obstructs another person in performing any such duty or obeying any such order, or;
(d) any person who intentionally gives a false answer to, or refuses to answer to the best of his knowledge or belief, any question asked of him by a census-officer which he is legally bound by section 8 to answer, or
(e) any person occupying any house, enclosure, vessel or other place who refuses to allow a census- officer such reasonable access thereto as he is required by section 9 to allow, or (f) any person who, removes, obliterates, alters, or damages any letters, marks or numbers which have been painted or affixed for the purposes of the census , or
(g) any person who, having been required under section 10 to fill up a schedule, knowingly and with- out sufficient cause fails to comply with the provisions of that section, or makes any false return there under, or
(h) any person who trespasses into a census office,
shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees and in case of a conviction under part (a) shall also be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years.
2. Whoever abets any offence under sub-section (1) shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
(vi) Section 15 – Records of census not open to inspection nor admissible in evidence
No person shall have a right to inspect any book, register or record made by a census-officer in the discharge of his duty as such, or any schedule delivered under section 10, and notwithstanding4 THE LAKSHADWEEP GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY anything to the contrary in the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023), no entry in any such book, register, record or schedule shall be admissible as evidence in any civil proceeding whatsoever or in any criminal proceeding other than a prosecution under this Act or any other law for any act or omission which constitutes an offence under this Act.
2. The upcoming Census 2027 shall be conducted through digital means and a provision for
self-enumeration will also be available. The period for the Houselisting & Housing Census 2027 to
begin in Lakshadweep from 16th April 2026 to 15th May 2026.
3. Resident will also have the option of self-enumeration from 1st April 2026 to 15th April 2026, as notified in the Lakshadweep Gazette vide VoL. LXI No. 52 Dated 04.02.2026. During this period, households may submit their details digitally before field officials begin house visits.
4. The Administration has appealed to all residents of Lakshadweep to extend full cooperation to Census Officials during the forthcoming operations in Lakshadweep.
-Sd- Dr. S.B Deepak Kumar, IAS Secretary (Planning, Statistics and Taxation), UTLA/ Nodal Officer for Census 2027, Lakshadweep LGP.Kvt.M-2819/03-26/10