KUPWARA: Chief Principal Census Officer (CPCO) and Director Census Operations for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, on Tuesday reviewed the progress of ongoing House Listing Operations (HLO) under Census 2027 in Kupwara district and cautioned the public against cyber fraudsters misusing the census exercise to obtain sensitive personal information.
The review meeting was jointly chaired by Sharma and Principal Census Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Shrikant Balasaheb Suse at the DC Office Complex in Kupwara.
During the meeting, Sharma warned citizens against cyber criminals attempting to collect bank account details, credit card information and other sensitive data in the name of Census 2027. He urged people to remain vigilant, report such incidents to the police and use the Census Helpline 1855 to facilitate prompt action against offenders.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Gulzar Ahmad Khan briefed the meeting on the district’s preparedness and progress regarding Census operations.
Reviewing the performance of the district, Sharma appreciated Kupwara’s progress in self-enumeration and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities. He stressed the need for maintaining the highest standards of accuracy during data collection and directed enumerators and supervisors to ensure that all entries are correctly recorded and thoroughly verified.
Describing Census 2027 as the country’s largest administrative and statistical exercise, he said the data collected would form the basis for planning, resource allocation and socio-economic development for years to come. He directed charge officers to ensure regular field inspections and random quality checks by supervisors and called for intensified monitoring and strict adherence to census guidelines.
The CPCO also emphasised the need for comprehensive coverage of migratory and seasonal populations, directing officials to carefully track migration routes and collect details of all eligible tribal populations and individuals.
Before concluding the review, Sharma highlighted that digital data collection would improve efficiency and enhance the quality of information gathered during the exercise.
Deputy Commissioner Suse assured full administrative support for the smooth conduct of census operations and directed concerned officers to closely monitor field activities to ensure timely completion of the exercise.
Later, Sharma and the Deputy Commissioner briefed the media about the progress achieved under the ongoing House Listing Operations and appealed to the public across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to cooperate fully with census functionaries by providing accurate information.
Reiterating safeguards under the Census Act, Sharma said all information collected during Census 2027 is protected under Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948, and remains strictly confidential, with no provision for sharing it with any agency or individual.
The meeting was attended by Joint Director, DCO J&K, Arun Kumar; Additional Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Gulzar Ahmad Khan; ADC Handwara Javed Naseem Masoodi; Assistant Director DCO J&K Vijay Kumar; Chief Planning Officer Kupwara; Assistant Commissioner Revenue Kupwara; Sub-Divisional Magistrates of Lolab and Karnah; charge officers and other officials associated with the census exercise.
