Morning digest: Ex-officials flag concerns over Census data quality; MHA proposes new ‘Chapter K’ under Article 371 for Ladakh, and more

The Union government’s decision to advance the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027 in four poll-bound States, coupled with the introduction of several new questions in the Census schedule, has prompted some former Census officials to raise concerns regarding the quality of data that is to be collected and the potential links between the Census, the National Population Register (NPR) and, ultimately, the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has proposed an elected body for the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh by introducing a new constitutional provision under Article 371 of the Constitution in a proposed Chapter K , civil society members who attended a meeting with MHA officials in Delhi on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) said.