Overview
- Self-enumeration opened for residents of Ladakh and designated snow‑bound areas starting Monday as a first step before field visits.
- The Registrar General on August 14 notified a 40-question Phase‑II schedule that adds an explicit caste question and multiple identity, digital and financial fields compared with 2011.
- Officials say individual data is protected under the Census Act, 1948, and that enumerators will record government document identifiers only if available while using geofenced portals and QR‑coded ID for verification.
- Media reports have highlighted overlaps between eight census questions and the 2020 NPR manual, reviving public concern about links to the NPR and NRC even as the government stresses legal and technical safeguards.
- Door‑to‑door population enumeration in these high‑altitude areas is planned for September 1–30 with Ladakh using October 1, 2026 as its reference date and the rest of India set for February 2027, a sequence that aims to secure coverage before winter and supply updated data for planning.