Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Saturday reviewed preparations for the second phase of Census-2027, which will cover population enumeration in snow-bound and otherwise inaccessible areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairing a meeting of the Union Territory Level Census Coordination Committee (UTLCCC), Dulloo directed district administrations to appoint enumerators and supervisors on time, giving preference to personnel with adequate technological skills for the digital enumeration process.
He stressed the need for comprehensive training of field staff, saying enumerators and supervisors must be fully familiar with the questionnaire, digital applications and operational protocols to ensure error-free data collection.
The Chief Secretary also called for extensive public awareness campaigns in remote areas to inform residents about the enumeration schedule, self-enumeration facilities and the importance of accurate data collection. He directed authorities to ensure timely payment of honorariums for work completed during the first phase and after the completion of Phase II.
Director Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, presented the operational plan for the exercise, detailing timelines, deployment strategies, training arrangements and public outreach measures.
According to the plan, citizens can self-enumerate through the official Census portal from August 17 to August 31, 2026, while door-to-door enumeration will be conducted from September 1 to September 30. The Census Moment has been fixed at midnight on October 1, followed by a revision round from October 1 to October 5.
Officials informed the meeting that the exercise will cover 95 administrative charges and 4,146 enumeration blocks in snow-bound areas. Major operational clusters include Doda, Kishtwar, Baramulla, Kupwara, Ramban and Anantnag districts.
The enumeration will be carried out through the ‘Census 2027–PE’ mobile application, supported by the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) for real-time monitoring. Enumerators will collect data from normal, institutional and houseless households through a digital questionnaire covering socio-demographic and economic indicators.
A structured training programme has also been planned, with district and charge-level training scheduled between August 10 and August 29.
The Directorate of Census Operations will launch a hyperlocal awareness campaign through media outreach, community radio, social media and mobile publicity vehicles to encourage public participation.
Dulloo directed all stakeholders to adopt a “zero-omission” approach to ensure that every eligible household and individual in these difficult terrains is covered during the exercise. He also appealed to residents of snow-bound areas to cooperate with census staff and make maximum use of the self-enumeration facility.
