The Government of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Directorate of Census Operations, Sikkim, launched the first phase of Census 2027 at Lok Bhawan in Gangtok on April 2, 2026. Governor Om Prakash Mathur attended the programme and formally flagged off the digital self-enumeration phase, the initial step in the two-part national census exercise.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Mathur said the launch marks the commencement of Census 2027-the 16th Census of India and the eighth since Independence-and noted that the previous nationwide count was held in 2011. He outlined that the census will be conducted in two phases: the current phase of digital self-enumeration followed by house listing and housing census, and a second phase that will cover population enumeration.
The Governor highlighted the advantages of the digital mode, saying it will allow citizens to submit their details efficiently, reduce paper use and broaden public participation. He stressed that reliable census data underpin policy decisions across health, education, housing, employment and social security, making the exercise critical to effective governance.
Emphasising the significance for Sikkim, Governor Mathur said the census will aid planning in remote and border areas and help assess the state’s diverse communities. He urged residents to take part in self-enumeration, provide accurate information and cooperate with enumerators, adding that successful completion depends on public participation across the state and the country.
Karma Bonpo, Director of Census Operations, delivered the welcome address and said the directorate had begun the census process in Sikkim through the self-enumeration campaign. He appealed to the media to spread awareness to ensure wide participation and reiterated that the exercise will support data-driven planning, equitable resource distribution and targeted development activities.
Also present at the launch were Lok Bhawan secretary Jitendra Singh Raje; commissioner-cum-secretary of the Transport department, Raj Yadav; IPR secretary Annapurna Alley; Principal Census Officer-cum-District Collector, Gangtok, Tushar Nikhare; District Census Officer-cum-ADC Sisum Wangchuk Bhutia; and officials from the Home department, the District Administrative Centre Gangtok and the Directorate of Census Operations.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Tejram Neher, assistant director at the Directorate of Census Operations. Citizens are encouraged to participate in the online self-enumeration to ensure their details are captured accurately for planning and policy purposes.
Original Source: https://www.sikkimexpress.com/news-details/census-2027-begins-with-digital-self-enumeration-phase
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