CS Atal Dulloo Reviews Census-2027 Preparedness, Calls for Maximum Public Participation in Self-Enumeration
Srinagar, May 11 (PTK): Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Sunday reviewed preparedness for Census-2027 in Jammu and Kashmir and stressed the need for extensive public participation in the Self-Enumeration process beginning from May 17.
Chairing the third meeting of the UT Level Census Coordination Committee in Srinagar, the Chief Secretary reviewed arrangements for the initial phase of Self-Enumeration and House Listing activities across districts of the Union Territory.
During the meeting, Atal Dulloo emphasized the importance of comprehensive training programmes for Enumerators and Supervisors to ensure accuracy and reliability in the Census process. He said properly trained field functionaries would be key to maintaining the integrity and credibility of the nationwide exercise.
The Chief Secretary directed officials to complete the formation and demarcation of House Listing Blocks (HLBs) before commencement of the enumeration process to ensure smooth and exhaustive coverage. He also stressed close monitoring at district and charge levels to avoid delays.
Calling for coordinated publicity campaigns, Dulloo instructed departments to organise thematic awareness drives involving multiple stakeholders to encourage voluntary public participation in Self-Enumeration.
Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shailendra Kumar stressed the need for multiple rounds of training for field staff and called for meticulous planning to ensure no household, particularly in remote and hilly areas, is left out during the Census exercise.
Director Census Operations J&K and Ladakh Amit Sharma informed the meeting that 29 batches for training of Field Trainers had been created across districts and that the process was substantially completed by May 10, 2026.
He said training programmes for Enumerators and Supervisors had already started in 12 districts while batches had been constituted in 17 districts.
The meeting was informed that the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India had approved deployment of 27,784 field functionaries in Jammu and Kashmir, including 23,774 Enumerators and 4,014 Supervisors.
Officials further informed that over 24,000 House Listing Blocks had been created across the Union Territory, with more than half already geo-tagged and demarcated.
A comprehensive awareness campaign involving print, television, radio, digital media, social media outreach, mobile publicity vans, exhibitions, nukkad nataks and community-level awareness programmes in Urdu, Dogri and Gojri has also been planned for the Self-Enumeration phase.
The meeting was also informed that Self-Enumeration of VVIPs would commence from May 17, 2026, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, to encourage public participation in the exercise.
A thematic 15-day outreach calendar has also been prepared to involve elected representatives, educational institutions, judiciary, industries, women’s groups, senior citizens, youth groups and other sections of society in the awareness campaign.
The Chief Secretary directed Deputy Commissioners and concerned officers to ensure seamless coordination, extensive public outreach and timely completion of preparatory activities for smooth conduct of the Census process across Jammu and Kashmir.(PTK)
