Ramban, Aug 19: Director Census Operations (DCO) and Chief Principal Census Officer (CPCO), J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma on Wednesday reviewed the preparations for Population Enumeration Phase-II of Census-2027 in the snow-bound areas of Ramban district at a meeting held here.
District Nodal Officer Census and Additional Deputy Commissioner Ramban Varunjeet Singh Charak, Deputy Director Census, DSEO and other concerned officers attended the meeting.
The meeting focused on preparedness for Population Enumeration in snow-bound areas, training of census functionaries, self-enumeration, geo-tagging and demarcation of Enumeration Blocks (EBs) besides measures for effective public awareness and publicity.
Addressing the meeting, the CPCO highlighted the importance of Census-2027 as a crucial national exercise for generating reliable demographic and socio-economic data, which serves as an important basis for development planning, policy formulation, resource allocation and delivery of public services. He stressed the need for coordinated efforts by all stakeholders to ensure complete, accurate and timely enumeration.
He directed the concerned officers to ensure extensive awareness among the public, particularly residents of snow-bound areas, regarding the Self-Enumeration process and the upcoming Population Enumeration exercise.
Amit Sharma was informed that the training of District and Charge Census Officers, Census officials and field trainers has been completed. Besides, training of Supervisors and Enumerators at the charge level is scheduled to be conducted from August 20 to August 29, 2026, as per the timelines conveyed by the Office of the Registrar General of India.
The CPCO laid special emphasis on Self-Enumeration in snow-bound areas, which is being undertaken from August 17 to August 31, 2026, as per the Standard Operating Procedures issued by the Office of the Registrar General of India.
He directed the district administration to ensure wide publicity of the Self-Enumeration process through local media, leading newspapers, electronic and social media platforms so that residents of snow-bound areas receive clear and authentic information and do not face any confusion. He further stressed that public messages may be disseminated in Hindi, English and local languages while awareness activities may be organized at panchayat and ward level with the involvement of field functionaries and local representatives.
The concerned officers were also directed to closely monitor the progress of Self-Enumeration and field-level preparations, identify gaps well in advance and take timely corrective measures to ensure smooth conduct of Population Enumeration in all designated snow-bound areas.
Earlier, District Nodal Officer Census made a detailed PowerPoint Presentation highlighting the district profile, status of House Listing Operations, preparedness for Population Enumeration in snow-bound areas, training progress, Self-Enumeration and the status of geo-tagging and demarcation of Enumeration Blocks.
As per the presentation, Ramban district has 88 snow-bound villages and 86 non-snow-bound villages. Population Enumeration in the snow-bound areas has been planned to cover 2,27,785 persons through 342 House Listing Blocks and 388 Enumeration Blocks, with 426 Enumerators including reserves and 78 Supervisors to be deployed.
The meeting was informed that charge-wise preparations have been undertaken for the snow-bound areas covering Banihal, Khari, Pogal-Paristan, Ramsoo, Ramban, Batote, Rajgarh and Gool.
Later, the DCO, along with Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mohammad Alyas Khan and Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Minga Sherpa, interacted with the media persons and briefed them about the ongoing Census operations. The DCO urged the media to play an active role in creating awareness among the local population about the Census exercise, particularly Self-Enumeration in snow-bound areas.
Meanwhile, the CPCO also met a deputation from Pogal-Paristan, which submitted a memorandum seeking inclusion of the Pogli dialect, commonly spoken in Ramban district and parts of the adjoining districts.
Sharma also stressed on coordinated efforts among the Census authorities, district administration, field functionaries and local stakeholders to ensure successful, transparent and comprehensive conduct of Census-2027 in the district.
