India's census, a massive undertaking billed as the largest of its kind in history, is underway as more than 2 million census-takers fan out across the country to count the population of nearly 1.2 billion.
The census began on Thursday as President Pratibha Patil, the first citizen enumerated as part of the nearly year-long process, listed details of her address.
The census is notable for more than just its size. As part of this census, the country plans to create a national database of every citizen older than 15, complete with photographs and fingerprints. From that database, the first Indian national identity cards will be created.
The census will also be collecting a level of detail that is new to population enumeration in the country. Census-takers will collect information about the availability of toilets and drinking water, as well as the types of building materials used in residences.
Indian Home Affairs Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram says the size and scope of the census is unprecedented.
"An exercise of this kind has not been attempted anywhere else in the world," he said.
More than 2.5 million census-takers will be visiting more than 630,000 villages and 5,000 cities, meeting residences in high rise apartment buildings and tin shacks to enumerate the population.
The government has pegged the cost of the census at about US$1.2 billion.
The enormous undertaking is not without its challenges. India is home to widespread illiteracy and numerous languages. Some people are homeless. Others don't have surnames or know their exact birthdays.
And in many parts of the country, census-takers will have to tread carefully: left-wing extremist activists have intensified their attacks on government officials in 20 of India's 28 states.
It will take nearly a year for the census-takers to collect all the information. They expect to complete their work by February 2011.
With a report from CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer and files from The Associated Press
