CS sets in motion Population Enumeration Phase of Census-2027 in snow-bound areas of J&K

SRINAGAR : Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, on Saturday chaired a meeting of the Union Territory Level Census Coordination Committee (UTLCCC) to review and finalize preparations for the second phase of Census-2027, involving Population Enumeration in snow-bound and otherwise inaccessible areas of J&K.
The meeting besides Director, Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Planning, Development & Monitoring Department; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu/Kashmir; Secretary, Rural Development Department; Director, School Education, Kashmir; Senior functionaries of the Directorate of Census Operations, besides Deputy Commissioners from the concerned districts through virtual mode.
The Chief Secretary directed the concerned district administrations to ensure timely appointment of Enumerators and Supervisors against the additional charges created for Phase-II, with preference given to personnel having the requisite technological proficiency for smooth execution of the digital enumeration process.
He called for vigorous and comprehensive training of all Enumerators and Supervisors, emphasizing that the field-level workforce must be fully conversant with the prescribed questionnaire, digital applications and protocols so that the exercise is completed efficiently and without errors or omissions.
The Chief Secretary further stressed the need for intensive publicity and public awareness campaigns in all areas being covered under the second phase, particularly in remote and snow-bound pockets, so that residents are well informed about the enumeration schedule, self-enumeration facility and their role in ensuring accurate and quality data collection.
He also called for timely disbursement of honorarium to personnel for the work completed during the first phase and upon successful culmination of the second phase, besides putting in place an effective monitoring mechanism.
He directed the Directorate of Census Operations and the respective District Administrations to maintain close coordination and undertake regular monitoring of field progress to ensure timely completion of the exercise.
At the outset, Director, Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, presented a comprehensive operational blueprint for Phase-II of the Census, outlining the timelines, deployment strategy, training framework, technological arrangements and public outreach measures for ensuring accurate and inclusive population enumeration in the designated snow-bound pockets.
He made out that citizens will have the facility of self-enumeration through the official Census portal from August 17 to August 31, 2026, followed by door-to-door physical enumeration from September 1 to September 30, 2026. The Census Moment will be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026, while a revisional round will be conducted from October 1 to October 5, 2026 for final verification and rectification of omissions, wherever required.
It was further elucidated that the exercise will cover 95 Administrative Charges and 4,146 tentative Enumeration Blocks spread across the snow-bound sectors of J&K. Major operational clusters include Doda with 15 charges, Kishtwar with 12, Baramulla with 12, Kupwara with 10, Ramban with 8 and Anantnag with 8 charges.
The meeting wasalso informed that the Phase-II enumeration will be carried out through the official ‘Census 2027–PE’ mobile application, supported by the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal for real-time monitoring of field operations and progress.
During the exercise, Enumerators will cover normal, institutional and houseless households through a comprehensive digital questionnaire designed to capture key socio-demographic, economic, migration, fertility and other relevant indicators. Special training modules have also been devised for personnel handling Special Charges, including Defence and Paramilitary establishments in these areas.
Moreover a structured training cascade has been put in place for the successful conduct of the exercise. The UT-level Officers and Principal Census Officers’ Conference was held on August 7, followed by training of District/Charge Officers and Census Clerks from August 10 to 12. District Field Trainers will undergo training from August 13 to 17, while training of Enumerators and Supervisors at the Charge level will be conducted from August 20 to 29, 2026.
The Directorate of Census Operations has also planned an extensive hyperlocal awareness campaign, including media outreach, community radio programmes, social media initiatives, transit branding and mobile announcement vehicles, besides targeted communication interventions to encourage maximum public participation in self-enumeration and field enumeration.
The Chief Secretary directed all stakeholders to work in close coordination and maintain a zero-omission approach, in these difficult and snow-bound terrains, so that every eligible household and individual is duly covered and the Census exercise culminates with accuracy, efficiency and credibility.
The Government has appealed to all residents of the designated snow-bound and inaccessible areas to extend full cooperation to the Census personnel and make maximum use of the self-enumeration facility, thereby contributing to a comprehensive, accurate and inclusive Census-2027.