Jammu

Calling Census 2027 a landmark national exercise being conducted after a gap of 15 years, Devansh Yadav on Friday urged residents of Jammu city to actively participate in the enumeration process, saying accurate public participation would help improve welfare delivery and strengthen governance.

The commissioner said more than 1,200 enumerators have been mobilised across the city for the exercise, while the online self-enumeration facility will remain open from May 17 to May 31.

Addressing reporters, Yadav said the census should not be viewed through the lens of citizenship verification, clarifying that the exercise has no connection with determining citizenship status or legal residency.

He said Jammu Municipal Corporation will conduct the enumeration across Jammu city, which has an estimated population of nearly eight lakh and includes 75 municipal wards, multiple outgrowth areas, and several slum settlements.

According to officials, residents will be able to complete self-enumeration through the official census portal using a one-time OTP-based registration process.

Yadav said the digital option would make the subsequent door-to-door verification faster and more efficient when field teams begin physical visits in June.

“If a household completes the online process beforehand, the submitted details can be accessed directly by enumerators during their visit, reducing both verification time and the possibility of data entry errors,” he said.

He assured residents that all personal information collected during the exercise would remain strictly confidential and would be used solely for administrative planning and implementation of public welfare programmes.

The month-long field verification exercise is scheduled from June 1 to June 30, during which trained teams will conduct houselisting across the city. The commissioner said citizens should contact civic helpline numbers if census teams fail to reach their locality.

To ensure smooth implementation, intensive training sessions for field staff are already underway, with an additional round of orientation planned before door-to-door operations begin.

Yadav also announced that elected legislators have been designated as “census ambassadors” to spread awareness and encourage public participation in their constituencies.

Around 50,000 awareness slips are being distributed across neighbourhoods to familiarise residents with the process and address misconceptions.

Responding to questions, the commissioner said the houselisting phase would also gather socio-economic details, including information on housing conditions, electricity access, ownership of household assets such as refrigerators, televisions, and two-wheelers, along with other indicators of living standards.

He reiterated that the June phase would focus only on houselisting and household data, while the actual population enumeration would take place in February next year.

Addressing concerns over misinformation, Yadav said the media has an important role in countering fake news and building trust around the exercise.

He added that senior political leaders, judges and top administrative officials would themselves complete self-enumeration to reassure the public.

Clarifying eligibility norms, Yadav said individuals residing at a location for the past six months and expected to remain there for another six months would be counted at that place.

He also advised residents to use only the official census website for online registration and avoid clicking on suspicious links circulated through SMS or social media.

READ MORE: Najma Akhtar: Ex-VC played a key role in shaping India's educational growth

“No payment is required for self-enumeration. Registration will be completed only through OTP verification,” he said, urging citizens to share only authentic government links.