Census 2027 Phase-1 in J&K begins June 1 with house listing

Srinagar, Jan 21: The first phase of the Census of India 2027 for Jammu and Kashmir would begin with House Listing Operations (HLO) from June 1 to June 30, 2026.

Officials from the government will visit each household to record key details of residential structures, housing conditions, assets, and basic amenities.

This information is used in the next phase to count and profile individuals.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director of Census Operations and Director Citizen Registrations (DCR), Amit Sharma, said the HLO would take place simultaneously in J&K and Ladakh.

He said that the timeline for the HLO was finalised during a meeting of the Union Territory Level Census Coordination Committee, chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on January 20, 2026.

Sharma said that the enumerators would visit every household and collect details on the devices that would be provided to them.

“Since this is a paperless Census, all the details will be updated simultaneously on the portals,” he said.

The Technical Assistants and Charge Officials would guide the people during the self-enumeration window.

Prior to this, people could fill in their details themselves on the portals.

“From May 16, this Census gives people the provision to record details of their households on their own. An enumerator will later vet the information, which would have been geo-tagged by the housemates,” he said.

The census would be fully digital for the first time in India.

It includes options for self-enumeration via the official Census portal.

The officials said the government would issue the formal notification by January 31, 2026.

The second phase, the Population Enumeration, would take place under two timelines in J&K: in September 2026 in snow-bound and non-synchronous areas of J&K, and February 2027 in the plains.

The critical decennial census exercise has been delayed since 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House Listing Phase would start on June 1 and end on June 30.

The residents would submit basic housing details online or with assistance from officials nominated and designated by the government.

This phase focuses on the housing census and records details of houses, buildings, amenities, construction materials, and household facilities.

The information collected in this phase covers a wide range of household and housing characteristics, officials said.

It includes details on housing structure and use like building identification numbers, the purpose for which the structure is used, construction materials, the physical condition of the house, and ownership status.

Data on basic household composition is also being gathered, including household size, the name and sex of the head of the household, SC and ST status, and the number of dwelling rooms in exclusive use.

The exercise further captures information on primary amenities and services, including sources of drinking water, availability of water within the dwelling, lighting sources, sanitation facilities, access to and type of latrine, wastewater disposal outlets, and bathing facilities.

Details related to kitchen access, type of kitchen, cooking fuel, and gas connections are also being recorded.

In addition, data is being collected on household assets and technology ownership like durable goods, telephones and smartphones, internet access, television and radio, as well as ownership of vehicles by category and miscellaneous information, including the main cereal consumed by the household.