New Delhi, June 16 -- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a gazette notification on Monday, declaring that the population census will be held in two phases.

According to the notification, the population census will be carried out in snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand from October 2026 and the rest of the country from March 2027.

"The reference date for the census shall be March 1, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand," the notification stated.

"Furthermore, the reference date for the Union Territory of Ladakh, snow-bound non-...