Srinagar, Aug 16: The second phase of Census 2027, covering population enumeration, will begin on Monday, August 17, 2026, in the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir and across Ladakh, Chief Principal Census Officer and Director Census Operations J&K and Ladakh Amit Sharma said on Sunday.
Addressing media persons in Leh, Sharma said population enumeration is the most crucial stage of the Census process as it determines the actual population figures of the country. He said the exercise in the snow-bound areas has been scheduled ahead of the enumeration in the plain areas, which is expected to be conducted in February 2027.
The Census officer said 16 of the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir have been identified as partially snow-bound, with only the notified snow-bound pockets covered in the current phase. In Ladakh, however, the entire Union Territory has been classified as snow-bound for the purpose of this phase.
According to Sharma, self-enumeration, or Swa-Ganna, will remain open from August 17 to August 31, following which trained enumerators and supervisors will undertake door-to-door population enumeration from September 1 to September 30.
“Both the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh administrations have completed the necessary notifications and preparations for the exercise. Principal Census Officers in the 16 snow-bound districts of J&K, as well as those in Leh and Kargil, have been geared up for the process, while field trainers have already been trained,” he said.
Sharma said the second phase is particularly important because this is where the actual population figures are determined. He urged people to extend the same cooperation that was witnessed during the first phase of the Census.
The Chief Principal Census Officer highlighted Jammu and Kashmir’s performance in the first phase of digital self-enumeration, saying J&K became the first Union Territory in the country in terms of self-enumeration through the digital Swa-Ganna platform. He added that among the Union Territories where the exercise was conducted, J&K stood eighth overall.
For the second phase, eligible residents can access the dedicated self-enumeration portal at se-snowbound.census.gov.in. Sharma said the link will also be publicised through the official Census social media handles.
However, he clarified that the self-enumeration facility in Jammu and Kashmir will not be available across entire districts merely because a district has been classified as partially snow-bound.
“For example, if Doda has certain areas classified as snow-bound, the self-enumeration link will open only in those notified areas. Residents of the remaining plain areas of the district, whose enumeration is scheduled for February 2027, will not be able to access the link during the present phase,” he explained.
Sharma said the system has been geo-fenced in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that only residents physically present in the notified snow-bound areas can undertake self-enumeration during the current window.
He gave the example of Gurez, which falls in Bandipora district but has been identified as a snow-bound area. If a resident of Gurez is currently staying in Srinagar or another non-notified area, the self-enumeration facility will not open merely on the basis of their permanent residence.
“Those who belong to a snow-bound area but are presently living outside the geo-fenced area will have to be physically present in the notified area to complete self-enumeration,” Sharma said.
In contrast, he said, self-enumeration will be available across Ladakh, as the entire Union Territory has been classified as snow-bound for this phase and there is no similar geo-fencing restriction within Ladakh.
The Census officer said training of enumerators and supervisors is being completed ahead of the field exercise, with the administration aiming to conclude the necessary preparations before regular population enumeration begins on September 1.
Sharma appealed to residents to cooperate with Census officials and provide accurate information during both the self-enumeration and door-to-door stages, stressing that the exercise will form the basis for determining the country’s population figures.
The second phase will therefore proceed in two stages in the snow-bound areas: Swa-Ganna from August 17 to 31, followed by door-to-door population enumeration from September 1 to 30, while the plain areas are expected to undergo population enumeration in February 2027.
