Self-enumeration window to open May 17; snow-bound areas get Oct 2026 start
Jammu, Mar 09: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, in presence of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, on Monday chaired a high-level sensitisation session to review and strengthen preparations for the upcoming Census, 2027 which will be conducted digitally for the first time across the country.
The session was attended by Administrative Secretaries of various departments, senior officers of the Union Territory administration, Divisional and District administration officers and representatives of multiple government departments.
Addressing the officers, the Chief Secretary emphasised the need for coordinated and proactive preparations for the smooth conduct of the census operations. He stated that the meeting had clearly delineated the roles and responsibilities of each department and called upon all departments and field functionaries to extend full support to the census machinery so that the exercise is carried out in a systematic, transparent and efficient manner.
He also underscored the importance of public awareness and outreach, stressing that citizens must be encouraged to actively participate in the census process and provide accurate information. He observed that a successful census depends on the cooperation of both the administration and the public, and all stakeholders must work together to ensure the credibility and completeness of the data collected during this mega UT wide programme.
Speaking on the occasion, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan expressed satisfaction over the level of preparedness and the comprehensive sensitisation carried out for officers at different levels of the administration in Jammu and Kashmir. He observed that the discussions and briefings held during the session had instilled confidence that the census operations in both phases would be completed diligently and within the prescribed timelines.
Highlighting the significance of the census exercise, he said that census data plays a pivotal role in determining the share of states and Union Territories in various Finance Commission allocations and government development programmes. He noted that the census serves as the foundational dataset guiding policy planning and development initiatives for the next decade.
He urged officers and field functionaries to exercise utmost diligence while collecting information, stressing that the quality and reliability of census data are critical for ensuring evidence-based planning and objective policy outcomes. He also emphasised the importance of rigorous training for field staff engaged in the exercise, noting that a clear understanding of procedures and digital tools would ensure smooth and efficient operations on the ground.
During the session, Director Census Operations for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma delivered a detailed presentation outlining the strategy, methodology, administrative arrangements and digital systems planned for conducting the census operations in the Union Territory.
He informed that the Census of India 2027 will be conducted in two phases across the country. The first phase will comprise the House Listing Operations (HLO), followed by the second phase of Population Enumeration.
To effectively manage the massive scale of the enumeration process, he apprised that a structured hierarchy of trainers had been envisaged by the Department. This includes a core team of National Trainers and Master Trainers who will subsequently train 614 Field Trainers. These trainers will further impart training to approximately 30,871 Enumerators and Supervisors at the Charge level across the Union Territory.
The field functionaries are scheduled to undergo specialised three-day training programmes between May 7 and May 25, 2026, equipping them with the required skills and operational knowledge before the commencement of fieldwork.
As per the operational plan, Phase-I (Houselisting and Housing Census) will begin with a 15-day self-enumeration window from May 17 to May 31, 2026, allowing citizens to submit their details digitally. This will be followed by 30 days of house-to-house enumeration throughout June 2026. The phase will focus on documenting housing conditions, household amenities and related infrastructure, which will form the statistical framework for the subsequent population enumeration phase.
Considering the unique geographic and climatic conditions of Jammu and Kashmir, Phase-II (Population Enumeration) will commence in September 2026 for snow-bound areas and in February 2027 for non-snowbound regions. This phase will collect detailed data on demographic, socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the population.
Recognising the crucial role of grassroots personnel in the census exercise, the Government has sanctioned an honorarium of ₹25,000 each for Enumerators and Supervisors, including ₹9,000 for the Houselisting phase and ₹16,000 for the Population Enumeration phase.
The Director further informed that the Census Reference Date has been fixed as March 1, 2027 for most areas, while October 1, 2026 will serve as the reference date for snow-bound regions.
The upcoming census will capture comprehensive information related to housing conditions, household amenities, assets, demographic characteristics, language, literacy, education, economic activity, migration patterns and other socio-economic indicators. Such data forms the backbone for policy formulation, planning and development programmes at the national, state and local levels.
A major highlight of the upcoming census will be digital data collection through a dedicated mobile application specifically developed for census operations. The application will be available on both Android and iOS platforms and will support multiple regional languages, including Hindi, English and Urdu in Jammu and Kashmir.
The application will also function in offline mode, enabling enumerators to collect data in areas with limited or no internet connectivity, while internet access will only be required for device registration and uploading of the collected data.
It was also highlighted that census data serves as the primary basis for delimitation and reservation of constituencies for Parliament, Legislative Assemblies, Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies, besides being extensively used by government agencies, researchers and development institutions.
Providing details of the administrative framework for census operations in the Union Territory, the Director Census Operations informed that the exercise will cover 20 districts, 207 tehsils, 6,462 villages and 78 towns, in addition to two Municipal Corporations.
He added that only enumerators registered on the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) will be authorised to collect and upload data. The information will subsequently be verified by supervisors through the system to ensure accuracy, transparency and authenticity of the data collected during the enumeration process.
