JAMMU, Oct 06:Amit Sharma, IAS, Chief Principal Census Officer (CPCO) and Director Census Operations (DCO), Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, has termed the successful completion of Population Enumeration in the designated snow-bound areas of the two Union Territories an important operational milestone for Census 2027. The exercise has covered 5,292 Enumeration Blocks (EBs)—4,597 in Jammu & Kashmir and 695 in Ladakh—across the designated snow-bound areas, requiring extensive preparation, specialised field arrangements and close coordination with district administrations and Special Charges.
The snow-bound Population Enumeration was preceded by Self-Enumeration from 17 to 31 August 2026, followed by field operations from 1 to 30 September 2026. In Ladakh, the entire Union Territory was covered during the September exercise, with 695 EBs completed—367 in Leh and 328 in Kargil. With Population Enumeration now completed in UT of Ladakh, it has become the first in the entire country to complete Population Enumeration for Census 2027. In UT of J&K, the snow-bound operation covered 16 districts and 95 Charges. Doda recorded the highest number of completed EBs at 798, followed by Kishtwarwith 602, Ramban with 418, Anantnag with 377 and Baramulla with 359.
Reasi recorded 345 completed EBs and Udhampur 313. Kishtwar district was declared fully snow-bound and hence has become the first district in the entire country to complete Population Enumeration for Census 2027. CPCO Amit Sharma appreciated the coordinated efforts of the district administrations, Census functionaries, Special Charges, Enumerators and Supervisors, as well as the cooperation extended by residents. He observed that the completion of the exercise across difficult and remote terrain demonstrated the preparedness of the Census machinery and the effectiveness of the field-level arrangements put in place for areas where geography and climatic conditions require a separate enumeration schedule. The successful field operation was backed by an extensive preparatory exercise.
Nodal Officers and District Coordinators were deployed in the districts for field training, preparation and demarcation of Enumeration Blocks, distribution of Census kits and ensuring that prescribed manuals reached the Charges. The exercise also received close attention from the senior leadership of the Census organisation. Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS, Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, undertook visit to J&K in August and his maiden visit to Ladakh during September to personally review the implementation and progress of Population Enumeration in the snow-bound areas.
Shri Sunil Kumar, Additional Registrar General, visited J&K during the preparatory phase in August. Both senior officers expressed satisfaction with the progress of preparations, training and field operations.
While briefing the media persons, Amit also shared that the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India also deputed observers to monitor the Population Enumeration in snow-bound non-synchronous areas. The observers examined adherence to Census instructions and timelines, functioning of digital applications and devices, operational issues, respondent cooperation and the quality and progress of fieldwork, besides interacting with Principal Census Officers, Charge Officers, Supervisors and Enumerators. Their field visits established the smooth conduct of the exercise and the officers from Delhi appreciated the timely completion of training, EB formation, distribution of materials, fieldwork and publicity activities. An important component of the exercise was enumeration in Special Charges.
Population Enumeration was completed in 125 Special Charges of Defence and CAPFs in the snow-bound areas of J&K and 47 Special Charges in Ladakh. Dedicated arrangements were made for these locations, with paper schedules used for enumeration and operational doubts and queries being resolved in real time. The concerned forces extended full support and supervision, while digitisation of the collected data is currently in progress. Amit especially mentioned that Public participation was strengthened through a sustained multi-channel publicity campaign across the snow-bound areas.
The outreach included advertisements in major newspapers, publicity vans with LED screens, banners at J&K Bank branches, pamphlet distribution, a seminar-cum-discussion at Bhaderwah Campus of the University of Jammu, a quiz competition in Kishtwar, and radio jingles in Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri and Dogri on Akashwani and Red FM. Hoardings were also installed at district headquarters, bus stands and other public places. The campaign contributed to wider awareness, with residents extending enthusiastic cooperation to the Enumerators and Supervisors.
With the snow-bound enumeration now concluded, the remaining Population Enumeration in the non-snow-bound areas of J&K is scheduled for February 2027. Shri Amit Sharma said that the Directorate would now focus on the prescribed post-enumeration processes for the completed areas while simultaneously ensuring that preparations for the February exercise in the remaining areas of J&K remain on schedule. Ladakh, having completed Population Enumeration across the entire Union Territory, stands outside the February 2027 enumeration schedule. Further, CPCO Amit Sharma shared that alongside Population Enumeration, work on the District Census Handbook (DCHB) is progressing in both Union Territories.
Training for DCHB fieldwork was completed across all districts by 27 September 2026, while fieldwork is scheduled for completion by 30 October 2026. In J&K, the exercise involves 284 Charge Officers, 65 Town Officers and 2,854 Village Officers, while in Ladakh 17 Charge Officers, 2 Town Officers and 56 Village Officers have been engaged. The snow-bound operation was supported by substantial logistical and financial arrangements, with approximately ₹49.2 crore released to the respective districts for IT infrastructure, POL, contingency, honorarium and training allowances.
Amit Sharma said that the completion of the snow-bound operation represents an important step in the phased conduct of Census 2027, while stressing that the focus would remain on data quality, completeness and adherence to prescribed procedures through the subsequent stages. The final population figures for Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of J&K will form part of the nationwide Census results, which are scheduled to be released after completion of the overall Census exercise in March–April 2027.
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