Jammu, March 9 Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan on Monday reviewed preparations for the upcoming 2027 Census in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, urging officers and field functionaries to exercise utmost diligence while collecting information.
He said that the quality and reliability of census data are crucial for evidence-based planning and objective policy outcomes.
Narayan visited the Directorate of Census Operations Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here, focusing on the preparation and readiness of the directorate for conducting the processes and training workshops in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to ensure the smooth conduct of the mega exercise, an official spokesman said.
Director Census Operations, Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, briefed Narayan on the working and functioning of the office.
Meanwhile, J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, in the presence of the registrar general and census commissioner of India, chaired a high-level sensitisation session to review and strengthen preparations for the upcoming census.
Narayan emphasised the importance of rigorous training for field staff involved in the exercise, noting that a clear understanding of procedures and digital tools would ensure smooth and efficient operations on the ground.
“The census serves as the foundational dataset guiding policy planning and development initiatives for the next decade,” he said.
Narayan expressed satisfaction over the level of preparedness and the comprehensive sensitisation carried out for officers at different levels of the administration in Jammu and Kashmir.
The chief secretary said the meeting called upon all departments and field functionaries to extend full support to the census machinery so that the exercise is carried out in a systematic, transparent and efficient manner.
He said a successful census depends on the cooperation of both the administration and the public, and all stakeholders must work together to ensure the credibility and completeness of the data collected during this mega UT-wide programme.
During the session, Director of the Census Operations for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh said the census will be conducted in two phases across the country. The first phase will comprise the House Listing Operations (HLO), followed by the second phase of Population Enumeration.
To effectively manage the massive scale of the enumeration process, he said, a structured hierarchy of trainers had been envisaged by the department.
This includes a core team of national trainers and master trainers, who will subsequently train 614 field trainers, he said, adding these trainers will further impart training to approximately 30,871 enumerators and supervisors at the charge level across the Union Territory.
The field functionaries are scheduled to undergo specialised three-day training programmes between May 7 and May 25, equipping them with the required skills and operational knowledge before the commencement of fieldwork.
As per the operational plan, Phase-I (Houselisting and Housing Census) will begin with a 15-day self-enumeration window from May 17 to May 31, allowing citizens to submit their details digitally, the officer said.
He said this will be followed by 30 days of house-to-house enumeration throughout June. The phase will focus on documenting housing conditions, household amenities and related infrastructure, which will form the statistical framework for the subsequent population enumeration phase.
Considering the unique geographic and climatic conditions of Jammu and Kashmir, Phase-II (Population Enumeration) will commence in September 2026 for snow-bound areas and in February 2027 for non-snowbound regions, Sharma said.
He said this phase will collect detailed data on demographic, socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the population.
Recognising the crucial role of grassroots personnel in the census exercise, the government has sanctioned an honorarium of Rs 25,000 each for enumerators and supervisors, including Rs 9,000 for the Houselisting phase and Rs 16,000 for the Population Enumeration phase.
The director said the Census Reference Date has been fixed as March 1, 2027 for most areas, while October 1, 2026 will serve as the reference date for snow-bound regions.