Chandigarh, 19 February, 2026:A UT-level conference on the forthcoming Census of India 2027 was held today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Shri H. Rajesh Prasad to review preparedness and inter-departmental coordination. The meeting was attended by Home Secretary Shri Mandip Singh Brar, Finance Secretary Shri Diprava Lakra, Education Secretary Ms. Prerna Puri, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Shri Amit Kumar, Director-cum-Chief Principal Census Officer, UT Chandigarh, Dr. Navjot Khosa, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Census Officer Shri Nishant Kumar Yadav, and other senior officers.

The conference commenced with a screening of a short film on the Census process, followed by a detailed presentation by the Director, Census Operations. The Chief Secretary said that the meeting brought complete clarity on the conduct of Census 2027. He noted that despite the delay, the Census is a comprehensive and complex exercise as every citizen must be covered, and the role of every functionary is crucial to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

He emphasized that officers must thoroughly understand the training and operational guidelines to leave no scope for error. After the training, House Listing Block Creation (HLBC) will be finalized to ensure complete coverage of every block and household without exception.

As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in January 2026, Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases, beginning with Phase I: House-listing and Housing Census (HLO). The training period for various levels of officers has been scheduled from February 2026 to April 2026, with structured training programmes conducted between 19 February 2026 and 29 April 2026. The house listing operations will be done in May 2026, and Population enumeration in February 2027

It was informed that Chandigarh has been divided into 10 Census Charges, each assigned to designated officers, including SDMs and senior departmental heads, with clearly demarcated ward-wise jurisdiction to ensure accountability and effective supervision.

Approximately 2,800 functionaries will be engaged in Chandigarh for the Census exercise. The Census will be conducted in digital mode using the Census Management Monitoring System (CMMS) and the HLB Creator App. A five-tier cascade training model has been adopted to ensure standardized capacity building and quality assurance at every level.

Following the conference, a dedicated training session for Charge Officers was conducted to familiarize them with operational procedures, digital tools, supervisory responsibilities, and monitoring mechanisms for Phase-I HLO. The session focused on ensuring data accuracy, quality checks, and effective coordination at the field level.

The meeting concluded with directions for regular review and strengthened inter-departmental coordination.