Srinagar, May 17 : The self-enumeration process for Census 2027 officially began across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Saturday, with Chief Principal Census Officer Amit Sharma urging people to actively participate in what he described as the first major step towards a fully digital and paperless census exercise.
Speaking to Kashmir News Service (KNS) , Sharma said the “Swa Ganna” or self-enumeration process started from May 17 and will continue till May 31. He said the initiative has already received support from top constitutional and administrative authorities of both Union Territories.
Sharma said Lieutenant Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena completed their self-enumeration on the very first day. He added that Chief Secretaries of both UTs, Atal Dulloo and Ashish Kundra, also participated in the process.
He said he personally travelled to Ladakh in the morning to oversee the exercise there before returning to J&K in the evening, where the self-enumeration of senior dignitaries was completed.
“The participation of top functionaries has sent a strong message to the public that everyone should come forward and take part in self-enumeration,” Sharma said.
He said the exercise has started in all 20 districts of Jammu & Kashmir and across Ladakh as well. Deputy Commissioners, Municipal Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar, and other district officials are actively monitoring and promoting the process, he added.
Sharma further said public representatives, including MLAs, ministers and advisors, are also being encouraged to participate. He said even the Chief Justice is expected to complete the self-enumeration process soon.
Calling it the first phase of Census 2027, Sharma said the House Listing Operation will be conducted from June 1 to June 30. He appealed to people to use the digital platform and fill all 33 questions through the official self-enumeration portal.
“In this era of digital technology, this is a 100 percent paperless census. People should complete their self-enumeration in a simple and convenient manner,” he said.
He informed that after successful submission, citizens will receive a unique ID which must be preserved. The enumerator and supervisor visiting households later will verify the details and freeze the data digitally.
Sharma also issued a strong advisory against cyber frauds and scams being carried out in the name of census operations.
He clarified that the Census Department never asks for bank details, PAN, Aadhaar numbers, credit card information or any confidential financial data.
“If anyone asks for such information in the name of census, people should immediately report it to police and the department,” he said, adding that only an OTP is required to complete the self-enumeration process.
He also urged people to verify the identity cards and QR codes of enumerators visiting homes before sharing information.
Sharma said all information collected during the census remains completely confidential under the Census Act and is not shared with any agency.
He described Census 2027 as an important foundation for the future development planning of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and appealed to maximum people to participate in the exercise.(KNS)
