By Tehelka Web Desk
The first phase of Census 2027 began across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday with the launch of a digital self-enumeration process, marking the first time the national census exercise is being conducted in a fully paperless format.
Under the House Listing Operations (HLO), residents will be able to submit their details online through a self-enumeration portal beginning at 6 am on May 17. The online window will remain open till May 31, ahead of the field exercise scheduled from June 1 to June 30, 2026.
Officials said the self-enumeration feature is a first-time initiative in India’s census process and is aimed at making data collection easier, more transparent and accurate.
Citizens can access the portal at se.census.gov.in and register themselves using an active mobile number for secure login. They will then be required to provide household and individual details online and save the reference number after submission for future verification during field enumeration.
The Census 2027 exercise is being conducted after a gap of more than 15 years and will be carried out entirely through digital platforms and mobile applications in English, Hindi and Urdu.
Phase II of the exercise, relating to population enumeration including caste census, will be conducted in February 2027 in non-snow-bound areas, while snow-bound areas will be covered earlier in September 2026.
Officials said around 28,000 enumerators and supervisors will be engaged for the census operations across Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Devansh Yadav sought to allay concerns surrounding the exercise and said the census process was not linked to citizenship verification.
“SIR pertains to revision of voter lists and is conducted by the Election Commission. However, the Census is a comprehensive national exercise for collection of demographics, socio-economic and housing data of persons for policy planning and governance, conducted under Census Act 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990,” Chief Principal Census Officer J&K and Ladakh Amit Sharma had stated earlier.
Dr Yadav also said that more than 1,200 enumerators would be deployed for census operations in Jammu city and that all MLAs would act as “census ambassadors” to spread awareness among the public.
Authorities have appealed to residents to cooperate with census officials and provide accurate information. As per the notification issued under SO 114 dated April 16, 2026, furnishing false information or refusing to cooperate with authorised census officials may invite legal consequences under provisions of the Census Act, 1948.
Officials, however, assured the public that all information collected during the exercise would remain confidential and would be used only for statistical and policy planning purposes.
