Centre Issues Census Notification: J&K, Ladakh, Himachal & Uttarakhand in 2026, Rest of India in 2027

New Delhi – The Union Home Ministry on Monday officially notified the schedule for the upcoming national population census, set to be carried out in two phases across the country.

As per the notification, the first phase of the Census will commence on October 1, 2026, covering the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and the hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The rest of the country will be covered in the second phase, which will begin on March 1, 2027.

The notification, issued under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, states:

“A census of the population shall be undertaken during the year 2027. The reference date for the said census shall be 00:00 hours of March 1, 2027, except for the Union Territory of Ladakh and snow-bound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.”
“For these specific regions, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026,” it added.

This upcoming Census will be historic in scope, as it is set to include caste enumeration for the first time, marking a major shift in India’s demographic data collection.

The Centre had recently approved the inclusion of caste details in the Census, stating that this move would enable more targeted and evidence-based policymaking, especially in the area of social welfare and empowerment.

However, the decision has also triggered political debate. The Congress claimed that the government was compelled to adopt their long-standing demand for social justice through caste-based data collection. On the other hand, the BJP asserted that while the opposition only talked about backward classes, it is the NDA government that is taking concrete action to empower them on the ground.

This will be India’s first Census after 2011, as the originally scheduled 2021 Census was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With inputs from IANS