Srinagar, Jan 7: J&K would undergo population enumeration for the Census of India 2027 in September 2026 in the snow-bound areas and in February 2027 in the plains.
The first phase date, House Listing Operations (HLO) in J&K, is to be decided and declared in the coming weeks, while for Ladakh, the month of June has been set, the top ranking Census official said.
Director of Census Operations and Director Citizen Registrations (DCR) for J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, told Greater Kashmir that the Census data collection would feature adjusted timelines for climatic conditions in snow-bound areas for the first phase, while the dates for population enumeration, the second phase, have already been decided by the Centre.
Sharma said the second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), would be conducted in September 2026 for snow-bound areas.
This includes parts of J&K and Ladakh, high-altitude regions where winter accessibility is limited.
For plains and non-snow-bound areas of J&K, the population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027.
The first phase is set to start across the country in April.
Sharma said that HLO, which is the first phase of the Census, will be conducted in June 2026, specifically for Ladakh.
He said the date for HLO would be finalised following a meeting with the Chief Secretary and other J&K officials in the third week of January 2026.
The national schedule for Census 2027 has been outlined in recent government notifications and gazette updates.
The house-listing phase across India will take place from April 1 to September 30 this year.
The states and Union Territories have been given the flexibility of choosing specific 30-day windows within this period, as per their convenience.
The HLO involves enumerating houses, buildings, and basic amenities and serves as a foundational step before population counting.
Snow-bound and non-synchronous regions include Ladakh and parts of J&K.
These will have their population enumeration advanced to September 2026 to avoid harsh winter conditions.
The 2027 Census is set to be India’s first such fully digital exercise.
It will incorporate self-enumeration options and mobile apps for field workers.
The Census will also have caste enumeration for the first time since 1931.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI, on Wednesday issued a gazette notification formalising aspects of the house listing phase and confirming the overall two-phase structure.
The massive operation, the largest such exercise in the world, got delayed from its original 2021 timeline due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors.
It is expected to provide critical data for policy planning, resource allocation, and delimitation processes in the country.
