Ganderbal: Chief Principal Census Officer and Director Census Operations for J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, on Saturday cautioned that even minor errors or conceptual misunderstandings can adversely impact the quality of Census data and affect future policy planning.
Sharma was chairing a comprehensive review meeting at the Mini Secretariat Ganderbal to assess the progress of ongoing House Listing Operations under Census 2027 in the district, along with Deputy Director General, Office of Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, Biswajit Das, and Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Jatin Kishore.
The meeting was attended by Joint Director DCO J&K Arun Kumar, Assistant Director DCO J&K Vijay Kumar, Chief Planning Officer Ganderbal, SDM Kangan, District Coordinator Census Ganderbal, Charge Officers and other concerned officials.
The Chief Planning Officer briefed the meeting that all House Listing Blocks have been successfully created and demarcated on the CMMS portal, and field operations are progressing smoothly across the district.
Appreciating the preparedness of Ganderbal district, Sharma stressed the importance of maintaining the highest standards of accuracy during data collection. He directed enumerators and supervisors to ensure that every entry is recorded correctly and verified thoroughly.
The CPCO directed Charge Officers to ensure that Supervisors undertake regular field inspections and conduct random quality checks. He instructed them to intensify monitoring and ensure strict adherence to Census guidelines, while also emphasizing verification of household information, coverage of migratory populations, forest areas, and other special categories.
Special emphasis was laid on ensuring comprehensive coverage of migratory and seasonal populations. Sharma directed field functionaries to meticulously track migration routes and collect details of all eligible tribal populations to ensure that no person is left out of the enumeration process.
Highlighting the role of technology, Sharma said the digital mode of data collection would enhance efficiency and improve the quality of information gathered.
Later, briefing the media, Sharma appealed to the public to fully cooperate with Census functionaries and provide accurate information, stating that reliable Census data serves as the foundation for informed governance, developmental planning, and equitable distribution of resources.
He reiterated that all information collected during the Census is fully protected under Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948, and remains completely confidential. He urged citizens not to fall prey to cyber fraudsters and clarified that Census officials never seek bank account details, passwords, credit card information, PAN, or Aadhaar details.