SRINAGAR: The first phase of the Census 2027, comprising House Listing Operations (HLO), has been successfully completed across the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, officials said on Wednesday.
The month-long exercise was carried out from June 1 to June 30 using end-to-end digital technology, marking a significant step towards a fully digitised Census process.
Chief Principal Census Officer (CPCO) and Director of Census Operations for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, **Amit Sharma**, said the field operations were completed without any major technical disruptions. He congratulated the officers and field staff involved in the exercise for completing the task within the stipulated timeframe.
According to the Directorate of Census Operations, a total of 24,071 digitally mapped and geo-referenced House Listing Blocks covering 295 Census Charges were surveyed in Jammu and Kashmir. In Ladakh, 567 House Listing Blocks across 17 Census Charges were covered. The exercise extended to urban, rural, border, tribal, remote and geographically challenging areas.
Officials said the successful completion of the exercise was supported by an extensive training programme. In Jammu and Kashmir, 30 Master Trainers, 614 Field Trainers and 29,269 Enumerators and Supervisors underwent training, while Ladakh trained two Master Trainers, 20 Field Trainers and 722 Enumerators and Supervisors. More than 27,000 Census kits were distributed in Jammu and Kashmir and around 800 in Ladakh before field operations began.
Sharma said the exercise was completed through coordinated efforts of the Directorate of Census Operations, district administrations and field functionaries, backed by regular review meetings, field inspections and digital monitoring. He also acknowledged the role of awareness campaigns conducted through print, electronic and social media in facilitating the Census exercise.
He further said that the Self-Enumeration initiative witnessed encouraging public participation, with over 6.67 lakh households in Jammu and Kashmir and 7,009 households in Ladakh voluntarily submitting their Census details online before the commencement of field operations.
Officials said preparations for the next phase of Census 2027 are now underway. Compilation of District Census Handbooks will begin from August 1, while Population Enumeration in the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir and across Ladakh will be conducted as per the notified schedule. Enumeration in the remaining areas of Jammu and Kashmir will follow in February 2027.
