Census 2027: Self-enumeration to begin on Monday in Ladakh, snowbound areas of J-K

Self-enumeration for Census 2027 will begin on Monday in identified snowbound areas of Jammu and Kashmir and across the Union Territory of Ladakh, and continue till August 31, officials said.

Director Census Operations for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, said the exercise will allow residents to digitally provide their details ahead of the door-to-door Population Enumeration scheduled from September 1 to 30.

"Self-enumeration for Census 2027 will begin on August 17 in identified snowbound areas of Jammu & Kashmir and across Ladakh, and continue till August 31," he told reporters here.

"We are fully prepared. This is the most important round of the Census, which we call Population Enumeration. In this, we get the complete figures and different parameters," Sharma said.

He said the population enumeration would cover around 40 questions relating to demographic details, fertility, occupation and other aspects, with caste also being included this time.

"From August 17, we will start self-enumeration, under which people will be provided the facility to fill in their own data for these 40 questions. This has already published," he said.

Residents in identified snowbound areas across 16 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and people across Ladakh have been urged to complete the self-enumeration within the stipulated period, he added.

Sharma said the reference date for Ladakh has already been notified as October 1, 2026, at midnight, while for the rest of the country, including the plains and remaining areas of Jammu and Kashmir, it is expected to be March 1, 2027, subject to notification.

"Ladakh is a unique region and is also the highest part of the country. It will have the distinction of being number one in terms of altitude," he said.

He said special establishments in Ladakh, including the military, ITBP and Air Force, would also be covered during the second phase of the Census.

"In the HLO (Houselisting Operation), which is conducted at households, they do not need to be covered. But now we will also complete their population enumeration," Sharma said.