On Wednesday, a press conference was organized in Dehradun by the Directorate of Census Operations, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with PIB Dehradun (under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).

Addressing the media, Director of Census Operations Ms. Eva Ashish Srivastava informed that the Government of India has initiated the first phase of Census-2027 — the House-listing and Housing Census (HLO) from April 1, 2026. This marks the beginning of the country’s largest administrative and statistical exercise. Notably, this is India's first census to feature a 'Self-Enumeration' facility, coupled with entirely digital data capture.

In Uttarakhand, the first phase of the census—the House-listing and Housing Census—will be conducted across the entire state over a 30-day period, from April 25 to May 24, 2026. Prior to the door-to-door survey, a 15-day window—from April 10 to April 24, 2026—has been provided to the residents of the state for 'Self-Enumeration.' This facility allows residents to log in to the portal se.census.gov.in using their mobile numbers and basic credentials, thereby enabling them to easily and digitally record their details themselves before the enumerator arrives. Self-Enumeration is a secure, web-based facility available in 16 regional languages.

In Uttarakhand, the census exercise will officially commence on April 10, 2026, with the 'Self-Enumeration' of the Governor, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Gurmit Singh. As mentioned, Self-Enumeration is a secure, web-based facility available in 16 regional languages. These include Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. 

Ms. Eva Ashish Srivastava, Director of the Directorate of Census Operations under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, announced that during the second phase, census operations will be conducted in September 2026 across 131 villages and 3 urban areas located in the snow-bound districts of Uttarakhand (Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, and Uttarkashi).

For the first time, respondents have been provided with the option to fill in their details online at their own convenience prior to the arrival of the enumerators. While enumerators will continue to visit every household in their assigned blocks—as was the practice in previous censuses—the 'Self-Enumeration' facility will serve as an additional convenience. To participate in self-enumeration, individuals can log in to the portal se.census.gov.in using their mobile numbers and basic credentials. Upon successful submission of the form, a unique Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID) is generated, which can subsequently be shared with the enumerator during their field visit.

For the first phase of the census in Uttarakhand—specifically the House-listing and Housing Census operations—approximately 30,000 enumerators and supervisors will be appointed. These personnel will conduct door-to-door enumeration across approximately 32,000 house-listing blocks. Currently, the training of all these enumerators and supervisors is underway across the entire state; they have been organized into 650 batches and are receiving instruction from 2 National Trainers, 23 Master Trainers, and 555 Field Trainers appointed within the state.

During the House-listing and Housing Census phase, detailed information regarding housing conditions, household amenities, and available assets will be collected. To record these critical indicators, a total of 33 questions were notified in January 2026 for the first phase; these data points serve as the foundation for evidence-based planning, policy formulation, and the design of targeted welfare schemes.

The census serves as a vital instrument of governance, providing the bedrock for India's development planning over the coming decade. All data collected under the Census Act, 1948, is kept strictly confidential. The digital tools being utilized for Census 2027 are equipped with robust encryption and multi-level authentication to ensure high-level data security. Therefore, the citizens of the state are urged to actively participate in this process, either through self-enumeration or by extending full cooperation to the enumerators.

Those Present at the press conference included S.S. Negi (Joint Director), Tanya Seth (Deputy Director), R.K. Banwari (Deputy Director), Praveen Kumar (Deputy Director), and—representing PIB Dehradun—Sanjeev Sundriyal (Assistant Director).

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