The enumerators and data entry operators were seen struggling with their handheld tablet PCs to put an end to their socio-economic caste census (SECC)-2011 on Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) campus. The enumerators and operators devoted their time to crosscheck the data entered into the tablet PCs as Wednesday was last day to complete the SECC-2011.
The Central Government, for the first time, has launched the massive paperless exercise of socio economic and caste census. Entire SECC was done on the tablet PCs to reduce data entry errors and enumerator discretion.
The enumerators along with data entry operators visited each and every household to conduct census from October 2011 to January. The exercise was carried out with the view to rank households based on their socio economic status for each state and to prepare a list of families living below the poverty line as well as to generate authentic caste-wise population information.
The SECC teams covered 11.29 lakh households in Machilipatnam, Gudivada, Vijayawada, Nuzvid, Jaggaiahpet and Pedana. In Vijayawada alone, there were 2,332 enumeration blocks 2.90 lakh households. More than 465 enumerators and data entry operators knocked at every door in the city to take socio economic census.
The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation initially faced teething problems like finding out the qualified data entry operators. The enumerators and data entry operators also agitated over they payment.
Though it slowed down the work, it, however, did not hinder the schedule of enumeration much. Though, the salaries were paid to the data entry operators, the enumerators are yet to be paid.
