New Delhi: The population enumeration phase of Census 2027 will begin on Monday in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Residents in these difficult-to-reach regions can use the self-enumeration facility between August 17 and August 31.
After the online exercise, census officials will conduct door-to-door enumeration from September 1 to September 30. The rest of the country will undergo population counting in February 2027.
Chief principal census officer and director, census operations, J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma said, “The census data will be recorded through a paper-less exercise, similar to the houselisting exercise, using a mobile app in snow-bound areas. Before population enumeration is done, self enumeration will be done on https://se.census.gov.in.”
Census coverage in remote regions
The exercise will cover around 274,000 people across seven districts of Ladakh and about 8.81 million people across 16 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Officials will also reach remote villages such as Zanskar and Yingchen, where access remains difficult.
In Himachal Pradesh, three districts will be covered in the early exercise. Around 6,903 snow-bound villages and areas have been identified for advance enumeration because heavy snowfall can make access difficult during winter.
Principal census officer and director of census operations, Himachal Pradesh, Deep Shikha Sharma said, “Census 2027 will be the 16th census of India and the eighth after Independence. For the first time, citizens will have the option of participating through a self-enumeration facility.”
Around 20,390 enumerators and supervisors will be deployed across Himachal Pradesh. The mobile application will work both online and offline to help officials collect data in areas with poor network connectivity.
Uttarakhand to cover 131 villages
In Uttarakhand, the exercise will cover around 52,000 people across 131 villages and three towns in four districts. Around 162 enumerators and 34 supervisors are expected to be deployed.
The census will also cover military and paramilitary units in snow-bound areas. Due to security concerns, their data will be collected on paper and later entered digitally.
The 2027 Census will include 40 questions, 11 more than the 2011 exercise. For the first time since Independence, respondents will be asked about caste. Questions on parental details, identity documents, mobile numbers, permanent address and Covid-19 vaccination details have also been included.
