India, May 18 -- The first phase of Census 2027 began across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday with the launch of a digital self-enumeration process, marking the first time the national census exercise is being conducted in a fully paperless format.

Under the House Listing Operations (HLO), residents will be able to submit their details online through a self-enumeration portal beginning at 6 am on May 17. The online window will remain open till May 31, ahead of the field exercise scheduled from June 1 to June 30, 2026.

Officials said the self-enumeration feature is a first-time initiative in India's census process and is aimed at making data collection easier, more transparent and accurate.

Citizens can access the po...