NEW DELHI: As many as 23 states and Union territories have completed houselisting operations (HLO) — the first phase of Census 2027 — thus far while eight states/UTs are in the middle of it.On Tuesday, Himachal Pradesh became the latest state to start HLO field operations, while Kerala and Nagaland opened their self-enumeration window.Himachal Pradesh — where self-enumeration had closed on Monday — will witness house-to-house visits by enumerators till July 15, 2026. The self-numeration period in Kerala and Nagaland will last till June 30, followed by month-long field enumeration till July 30.House-to-house field operations are currently also underway in Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Puducherry and Uttar Pradesh. Residents who self-enumerate are required to simply share their self-enumeration ID (SE ID) with the enumerator during field visit, so as to complete the HLO process. Households that have not opted for SE will be covered during physical house-to-house visits by the enumerators.HLO for Census 2027 was completed on Sunday in Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Jharkhand and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) area in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, while Punjab concluded it a day earlier on June 13, 2026.Till now, 23 states/UTs, namely, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana and Uttarakhand, have completed the first phase of Census 2027.Census 2027 is being conducted using digital tools for the first time with data collection being undertaken through a dedicated mobile application while retaining the traditional door-to-door enumeration process to ensure comprehensive and accurate coverage. As reported by TOI on Tuesday, the percentage of those who have self-enumerated is very low, with even metros like Delhi recording a 3% SE component.HLO phase of Census records information relating to housing conditions, household details, amenities available and assets possessed by households, through a structured questionnaire comprising 33 notified questions.All information collected under the Census Act, 1948, remains strictly confidential and is used solely for statistical purposes and development planning. “Residents in the notified states and Union T=territories are requested to actively participate in the Census process and extend full cooperation to enumerators during field visits,” the home ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.