Official helpline 1855 for assistance, clarification
Srinagar: Citizens have been cautioned against cyber frauds that may emerge on the pretext of Census 2027 operations, with officials clarifying that enumerators will only seek responses to 33 notified Census questions and will not collect Aadhaar numbers, PAN details, bank account information, or credit/debit card details.
Chief Principal Census Officer and Director Census Operations for J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, issued the warning while chairing a review meeting of Census 2027 operations in Bandipora district along with Deputy Commissioner Indu Kanwal Chib.
Sharma emphasized that the ongoing Census exercise would lay the foundation for developmental parameters for the next decade and stressed that even minor inaccuracies can adversely affect future planning and governance for years to come.
He directed Census teams to properly introduce themselves before interacting with the public and to sensitise people about possible misinformation campaigns and fraudulent activities that may emerge on the pretext of Census operations.
Citizens can seek any assistance or clarification regarding Census operations through the official helpline number 1855, Sharma added.
The Deputy Commissioner assured full administrative support for smooth conduct of Census operations and directed officers to make optimum use of technology, ensuring effective supervision and quality checks at every level.
The meeting was attended by Joint Director Census Arun Kumar, Assistant Director Census Vijay Kumar, District Nodal Officer Census, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Charge Officers, Master Trainers, Field Trainers, Supervisors and Enumerators associated with Census operations.
Officials discussed mechanisms for enumeration of migratory population and measures for ensuring complete and accurate coverage of all sections of society. Supervisors and Enumerators were asked to maintain continuous coordination for effective resolution of field-level issues while maintaining complete confidentiality of Census data.