Census 2027: Innovative Methods for Counting the Sentinelese

Port Blair, Sep 2 (PTI) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are gearing up for the Census 2027, and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is exploring innovative methods for counting the world's last pre-Neolithic tribe, the Sentinelese, according to officials. These indigenous people are known for their aversion to outsiders entering their land.

"The Sentinelese tribe resides on North Sentinel Island and has been isolated for thousands of years. As we prepare for the Census, we're considering methods to count the Sentinelese population. One potential approach is a thermal Census. The final Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are still under development," a senior official from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs commented.

The region of North Sentinel Islands, along with its surrounding areas, is highly restricted under the Protection of Aboriginal Tribe (Regulation), 1956, and Indian Forest Act, 1927 regulations. The Sentinelese are categorized as a Scheduled Tribe.

"Believed to be descendants of the initial human populations emerging from Africa, they may have inhabited the Andaman Islands for as long as 55,000 years. They fiercely defend their territory from outside intrusion using bows and arrows, with their land spanning 14,700 acres," explained a senior tribal welfare officer.

In November 2018, the tribe made headlines when American tourist John Allen Chau was killed after illegally trying to interact with them on a religious mission.

Recently, the Census Coordination Committee of the union territory had its inaugural meeting on August 29, chaired by Chief Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar. During the meeting, Director of Census Operations Purva Garg presented a thorough overview of the tentative Census plan, preparatory tasks, and innovative techniques to be implemented.

Garg informed the committee that the 2027 Census will be fully digital across India, conducted in two phases: house listing and housing Census (HLO), followed by population enumeration (PE). As part of the preparatory phase, a pre-test of house listing and housing Census is set for October-November 2025 in selected regions across the three districts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The chief secretary highlighted the importance of focusing on tribal areas to ensure both inclusivity and precision in the enumeration process.

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