JAMMU, Oct. 6
Population enumeration for Census 2027 has been completed across the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, covering 5,292 enumeration blocks during a month-long exercise conducted ahead of winter, a senior Census official said on Tuesday.
The remaining areas of the two Union Territories will be covered during the main population enumeration scheduled for February, Director of Census Operations Amit Sharma said. Earth News
Sharma, who is also Chief Principal Census Officer for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, said the special enumeration in snow-bound areas was carried out between September 1 and 30 and achieved 100 per cent coverage.
A five-day revision round was completed on October 5 to account for corrections, omissions and other changes reported after the initial enumeration.
The exercise covered 5,292 Enumeration Blocks, or EBs, across the two Union Territories. Jammu and Kashmir accounted for 4,597 blocks, while 695 were in Ladakh.
Among individual districts, Doda had the largest number covered during the exercise, with 798 enumeration blocks. Kishtwar accounted for 602, Ramban 418, Anantnag 377, Baramulla 369, Reasi 345, Udhampur 313 and Kupwara 230.
Ladakh and Kishtwar were classified entirely as snow-bound for the exercise, while several other districts in Jammu and Kashmir contained areas that received the same designation.
Conducting enumeration early in these locations was necessary because heavy snowfall and severe winter conditions can make settlements difficult to access during the normal Census period.
A large field workforce of enumerators and supervisors carried out door-to-door visits in remote and difficult terrain to complete the exercise before winter.
The remaining plain areas will be covered during the main population enumeration in February after the required notification is issued.
The house-listing exercise has already been completed, having taken place in June. A separate District Census Handbook exercise began on October 1 and will continue until October 30.
Census 2027 will also mark a major change in how India’s decennial population count is conducted.
It is the country’s first fully digital Census, with enumerators using digital devices to record information and residents also being offered a self-enumeration facility.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded particularly strong participation in the self-enumeration initiative, ranking first among Union Territories and eighth nationally, according to Sharma.
Independent observers appointed by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India visited different areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh during the exercise.
Their work included reviewing field implementation, checking the use of digital devices and interacting with enumerators, supervisors and other officials involved in Census operations.
Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan also visited several remote and strategically located areas of Ladakh to review preparations and field operations.
His visits covered Turtuk, Bogdang, Pangong, Chushul, Nyoma, Chumar, Kargil and Zanskar.
Additional Registrar General Sunil Kumar had earlier visited Jammu and Kashmir in August to assess preparations for the exercise.
Officials also clarified how individuals will be counted during Census 2027.
The exercise follows what Sharma described as an “extended de facto” approach, under which individuals are counted at the location where they are found during the enumeration period.
This applies to migrant labourers, people temporarily working outside their home states and others present at a particular location when enumeration takes place.
The Census exercise itself does not determine whether a person’s stay at a particular location is legal. Sharma said questions concerning legality of residence fall within the responsibility of the relevant government agencies rather than Census authorities.
The Centre has released approximately ₹49.2 crore for Census-related requirements in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The funding covers information-technology infrastructure, training, honorariums and contingency expenditure required for the exercise.
Authorities have also undertaken an awareness campaign using newspaper advertisements, LED displays, publicity vehicles, pamphlets, seminars, university programmes, quizzes, radio jingles and outdoor advertising.
An agreement has been signed with Jammu and Kashmir Bank to display Census publicity material across its branches, an initiative Sharma described as the first of its kind in the country.
The completion of enumeration in snow-bound regions does not mean final population figures for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are available yet.
The main enumeration across the remaining areas must first be completed. Provisional population figures at the national level are expected only after the wider Census exercise concludes next year.
The data collected through Census 2027 will eventually feed into government planning across sectors ranging from healthcare and education to infrastructure, social welfare and connectivity.
For Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, completing the most difficult snow-bound areas before winter clears an important logistical stage of the exercise. The focus will now shift to the remaining population when the main enumeration begins in February.
