Preparations for the upcoming nationwide census have begun in Uttarakhand. As per the notification issued by the Central Government, the Directorate of Census Operations in the state has entered full planning mode. The first phase of the census will be conducted in April 2026.
Training for census personnel is scheduled to begin in December this year. This will be India’s first fully digital census, ensuring that final data will be available within a month of completion.
According to Shailendra Singh Negi, Joint Director of the Census Directorate, the training will be rolled out in phases—from national trainers to master trainers, followed by field trainers, enumerators, and supervisors. These trained personnel will go door-to-door to collect information.
Between April and June 2026, housing listing and housing census will be conducted over a 45-day window. The main population enumeration will follow between 9 to 28 February 2027. However, due to snowfall in parts of Uttarakhand during February, around 150 villages and three towns will be covered earlier—from 11 to 30 September 2026.
Nearly 28,000 personnel will be deployed for the 2026 census—up from around 24,000 in the 2011 census. In the first phase, details like house type, head of household, and availability of facilities will be collected. The second phase will capture detailed demographic and educational data of all family members.
