Jammu, Oct 6: The population enumeration exercise for Census 2027 has been completed in the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with the remaining areas scheduled to be covered during the main enumeration phase in February, Director of Census Operations Amit Sharma said on Tuesday.
Sharma, who is also the Chief Principal Census Officer of J&K and Ladakh, said the house-listing exercise had already been completed in June, while the District Census Handbook (DCHB) exercise, which began on October 1, will continue till October 30.
“The population enumeration in the snow-bound areas of J&K and Ladakh was successfully completed 100 per cent from September 1 to 30. A five-day revision round was also completed on October 5 to incorporate corrections, omissions and other changes reported after the initial enumeration,” Sharma told reporters.
The detailed enumeration covered 5,292 Enumeration Blocks (EBs) across the two Union Territories. Of these, 4,597 blocks were in Jammu and Kashmir and 695 in Ladakh.
Sharma said a large field workforce was deployed across remote, difficult and snow-bound areas, with enumerators and supervisors undertaking door-to-door visits to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Among the districts, Doda accounted for 798 enumeration blocks, followed by Kishtwar with 602, Ramban 418, Anantnag 377, Baramulla 369, Reasi 345, Udhampur 313 and Kupwara 230.
He said Ladakh and Kishtwar were entirely designated as snow-bound areas, while several other districts of Jammu and Kashmir had partially snow-bound regions. The remaining plain areas will be covered during the main population enumeration exercise in February after the requisite notification.
First Fully Digital Census
Sharma said Census 2027 is India’s first fully digital Census, with enumerators using digital devices and citizens being provided the facility of self-enumeration.
He said Jammu and Kashmir performed exceptionally well in self-enumeration, ranking first among Union Territories and eighth overall in the country.
Independent observers deployed by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India also visited various parts of J&K and Ladakh to assess field-level implementation, verify the use of digital devices and interact with officials, supervisors and enumerators.
Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan visited several remote and strategically located areas of Ladakh, including Turtuk, Bogdang, Pangong, Chushul, Nyoma, Chumar, Kargil and Zanskar, to review Census preparedness and field operations.
Additional Registrar General Sunil Kumar also visited Jammu and Kashmir in August to assess preparations.
‘People Will Be Counted Where They Are Found’
Explaining the Census coverage principle, Sharma said the exercise follows the “extended de facto” approach, under which a person is counted at the place where he or she is found during the enumeration period.
“Whether it is a migrant labourer, a person working in another state or anyone else present at a particular place during the Census enumeration, the person will be counted where he or she is found,” he said.
He clarified that determining the legality of a person’s stay is the responsibility of the concerned government agencies and not the Census authorities.
The Centre has released around ₹49.2 crore for Census-related requirements in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, covering IT infrastructure, training, honorarium and contingency expenditure.
Sharma also highlighted an extensive awareness campaign involving newspaper advertisements, LED screens, publicity vans, pamphlets, seminars, university programmes, quiz competitions, radio jingles and hoardings.
An MoU has also been signed with Jammu and Kashmir Bank to display Census-related publicity material at its branches, which Sharma described as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
He said the main population enumeration in the remaining areas is yet to be conducted and provisional population figures at the national level are expected only after the exercise is completed next year.
Sharma said Census data would serve as a foundation for government planning and policy formulation in areas including infrastructure, healthcare, education, social welfare, connectivity and other development programmes.
“Census data is the foundation for development planning. The data being collected now will be used for planning and development for years to come and will also contribute to the goal of a developed India by 2047,” he said.
