New Delhi, Oct 30 (KNS): The population Census will be conducted from January 25 to February 28, 2027, across most parts of India, including the non-snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, with March 1 fixed as the reference date, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday.

The notification, issued by Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, provides a separate schedule for snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, besides Ladakh and certain other states.

According to the notification, the reference date for the general population enumeration will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.

The exercise will cover all states and Union Territories except Manipur, pending further declaration, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The notification said the population enumeration in the areas covered by the general schedule would begin on January 25 and continue until February 28, 2027.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

A revisional round will be conducted from March 1 to March 5, 2027, to update enumeration records.

The government has also provided an option for self-enumeration from January 10 to January 24, allowing residents to submit their details before the commencement of house-to-house enumeration.

For Jammu and Kashmir, the notification establishes a distinction between areas covered by the general schedule and snow-bound regions requiring separate enumeration arrangements.

The exclusion of snow-bound areas from the January-February schedule does not mean their exclusion from the Census exercise, but reflects the need for different arrangements in geographically challenging regions.

The notification has been issued under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, read with Rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990.

The population Census is a major national statistical exercise aimed at collecting demographic information to support planning, policy formulation and allocation of public resources. (KNS)