Jammu, May 16, 2026 : Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Commissioner Dr Devansh Yadav on Friday termed Census 2027 a “historic” national exercise being conducted after a gap of fifteen years and urged citizens to actively participate to improve implementation of welfare schemes and public services.
Addressing reporters in Jammu, Yadav said more than 1,200 enumerators would be deployed across Jammu city for the census exercise, while the self-enumeration facility for citizens will remain open from May 17 to May 31.
He clarified that the census exercise has no connection with citizenship verification or legal residency and appealed to people not to fall prey to misinformation.
“Jammu city, with a population of nearly eight lakh, consists of 75 wards, around 15 outgrowth areas, and several slum localities. JMC teams comprising over 1,200 enumerators will conduct the census in all these areas,” he said.
The commissioner explained that citizens opting for self-enumeration would be able to upload household details through the official census portal using an OTP-based registration system.
“The advantage of self-enumeration is that when JMC teams visit households in June, the already submitted information can be fetched automatically, reducing both time and chances of errors,” Yadav stated.
He assured citizens that all information collected during the exercise would remain strictly confidential and would only be used for policy planning and implementation of government welfare schemes.
According to Yadav, all MLAs have been designated as “Census Ambassadors” to spread awareness and encourage participation in their respective constituencies.
The month-long field survey from June 1 to June 30 will focus on houselisting, while the actual population census is scheduled to be conducted in February next year.
The commissioner also said that around 50,000 awareness slips are being distributed door-to-door to educate residents about the census process.
Replying to queries, Yadav confirmed that caste-related and socio-economic data would also be collected during the exercise.
“Information regarding electricity access, pucca houses, refrigerators, televisions, two-wheelers, and other household amenities will be collected to assess socio-economic conditions,” he said.
Emphasising transparency, Yadav clarified that the data would not be linked to income tax, legal scrutiny, or citizenship verification.
“This is merely an assessment of ground realities. It should not be viewed as approval or validation of citizenship,” he added.
He further advised citizens to use only the official census portal for self-enumeration and warned against fake links or suspicious messages circulating on digital platforms.
“No payment is required for self-enumeration. Registration will only be done through OTP verification,” he said.
The JMC Commissioner also highlighted the role of the media in combating misinformation and fake news related to the census exercise, urging the public to cooperate in the national interest.
