Ladakh Gears Up for Census 2027 with High-Level HLO Training Conference

• One-Day HLO Training Conference for Census 2027 held in Ladakh

Leh, 26 February, 2026: A one-day UT-Level Training Conference on House Listing Operations (HLO) for Census of India 2027 was held yesterday under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary of UT-Ladakh, Ashish Kundra and moderated by Director Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh Amit Sharma.

The Conference was organised by the Planning, Development & Monitoring Department (PD&MD), UT-Ladakh (the Nodal Department for Census) in collaboration with the Directorate of Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The attendees present apart from Chief Secretary and Director Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh were Dr L Franklin, Commissioner Secretary, PD&MD and Nodal Officer for Census 2027 in UT of Ladakh, Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Moses Kunzang, Administrative Secretary, YS&S, Ghulam Mohd, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Imtiyaz Kacho, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Tsewang Gyalson, CPO Leh, Sunil Kaul, State Informatics Officer, NIC; Punchok Paldan, Director, NIC Leh, and Konchok Gyalson, Joint Director Planning along with officers from the Office of Director, Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including Arun Kumar, Joint Director; Manmeet Singh Loomba, Deputy Director; Jatinder Kumar, Assistant Director; Sanjay Kumar, SIG-I and Tashi Otsal, SIG-II.

This all-important one day training programme was aimed to strengthen preparedness and coordination for the successful conduct of House Listing Operations (HLO) across the Union Territory of Ladakh, as a part of ongoing Census 2027.

At the outset, Amit Sharma, Director Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh set the context by providing a comprehensive overview of the Census 2027 and the House Listing Operations. He highlighted the importance of early sensitisation of stakeholders, timely appointment of Nodal Officers and effective inter-departmental coordination. Amit expressed confidence that UT-Ladakh could emerge as one of the best-performing regions in the country in the upcoming Census exercise.

In his address, Chief Secretary of UT-Ladakh Ashish Kundra, underscored the significance of the Census as the backbone of policy formulation, welfare planning, and equitable resource distribution. He stated that the Census is not merely a statistical exercise but a foundational activity that directly impacts developmental planning, infrastructure creation, and delivery of public services.

Chief Secretary UT Ladakh further emphasised that special attention must be given to translating census schedules and training materials into local languages to ensure better understanding and accurate data collection at the grassroots level. He stressed the need for structured and decentralised training at district, sub-division, and village levels so that enumerators and supervisors are fully equipped with technical and procedural knowledge

During the Conference, detailed discussions were held regarding the strategy for Census 2027, including its background, methodology, timeline, and implementation process. It was informed that the Census in UT-Ladakh will be conducted in two phases: House Listing Operations (HLO) and Population Enumeration (PE). The administrative setup under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the overall significance of the Census as a foundation for evidence-based policy planning were also elaborated upon.

Special emphasis was laid on the use of digital tools for data collection, including mobile applications and the Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS). The key functionalities of CMMS, such as registration of Census Functionaries, monitoring of field activities, reporting mechanisms, and fund management, were explained in detail.

Discussions were also held on provisions for self-enumeration, robust data security measures, and key features of the Census Act, 1948. Self-enumeration was highlighted as the first of it’s kind feature of Census 2027 in India where people can fill their own information on the designated portal and UT administration was requested to facilitate the same through their own offices.

Technical assistance requirements for strengthening UT, district, and charge-level census offices were reviewed, including hiring of manpower, augmentation of IT infrastructure, issuance of census circulars, and resolution of operational challenges faced so far.

Additionally, presentations were made on the roles and responsibilities of various Census Functionaries, procedures for registration on the CMMS portal, training modules, fund disbursement and utilisation processes, and mechanisms to address field-level challenges. The importance of inter-agency coordination and effective publicity activities to ensure public participation and awareness across the UT was also emphasised during this one-day Conference which culminated in Ladakh UT with a resolve to conduct Census 2027 successfully in UT with total focus and determination.