Jammu: The Census 2027 exercise is progressing across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with population enumeration in snow-bound areas completed ahead of winter and the Army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other Central forces covered through a separate paper-based mechanism due to security concerns.
Director of Census Operations, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma said on Tuesday that population enumeration in snow-bound areas was completed 100 per cent between September 1 and 30, followed by a five-day revision round that concluded on October 5 to incorporate corrections, omissions and other changes.
The exercise covered 5,292 enumeration blocks across the two Union territories, including 4,597 in Jammu and Kashmir and 695 in Ladakh.
Ladakh and Kishtwar were entirely designated as snow-bound, while several other districts of Jammu and Kashmir had partially snow-bound areas. Among the districts, Doda accounted for 798 enumeration blocks, Kishtwar 602, Ramban 418, Anantnag 377, Baramulla 369, Reasi 345, Udhampur 313 and Kupwara 230.
Sharma said the remaining plain areas, including Jammu and Srinagar, would be covered during the main population enumeration exercise in February, following the requisite notification.
Meanwhile, the population enumeration of 172 Special Charges — 125 in Jammu and Kashmir and 47 in Ladakh — covering the military, paramilitary and other Central forces, has also been completed.
Unlike the regular digital enumeration, the Special Charges were covered through paper schedules because of operational and security requirements.
“Population Enumeration is conducted for special charges, while there is no house listing operation for them,” Sharma said, adding that information could not essentially be collected over the internet because of security concerns.
He said regular coordination with the Ministry of Defence had streamlined the exercise involving the Army, which has a large presence among the Special Charges.
“The Army has a central database. After incorporating the required Census fields, they are directly providing the data to us from that database,” Sharma said.
The next stage will involve digitisation of the paper-based data by the concerned establishments before its integration into the main Census database. Sharma said the information would be transmitted through a secure and encrypted mechanism in fixed formats.
He said the exercise had also been completed across other forces, including the Air Force and Central forces, with national trainers overseeing the process until its final stages.
Sharma said the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, had reviewed Census preparations during his September visit to Ladakh, including interactions with representatives of the Special Charges.
Census 2027 is India’s first fully digital Census, with enumerators using digital devices and citizens provided the facility of self-enumeration.
Sharma said Jammu and Kashmir performed strongly in self-enumeration, ranking first among Union Territories and eighth overall in the country.
The District Census Handbook exercise, which began on October 1, will continue until October 30. House listing operations had already been completed in June.
Sharma said the Census followed the “extended de facto” approach, under which a person is counted at the place where he or she is found during the enumeration period, irrespective of whether the person is a migrant worker or temporarily staying away from their usual place of residence.
He said determining the legality of a person’s stay was the responsibility of the concerned government agencies and not the Census authorities.
The Census authorities have deployed independent observers to assess field-level implementation, while senior officials have visited remote and strategically located areas of Ladakh, including Turtuk, Bogdang, Pangong, Chushul, Nyoma, Chumar, Kargil and Zanskar.
Sharma said around Rs 49.2 crore had been released by the Centre for Census-related requirements in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, covering IT infrastructure, training, honorarium and contingency expenditure.
He also clarified that the Census and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were entirely separate exercises.
“SIR is conducted by the Election Commission of India, whereas the census is conducted under the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India,” he said.
Sharma said the Census data would eventually form the basis for government planning and policy formulation in areas including infrastructure, healthcare, education, social welfare and connectivity.
The main population enumeration in the remaining areas is scheduled for February, while provisional population figures at the national level are expected only after completion of the exercise next year.
