Srinagar, Mar 5: The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India is visiting Jammu & Kashmir to participate in a programme relating to the conduct of the Census-the largest headcount exercise in the country, being held after a gap of 15 years.
Sources said that Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan is expected to participate in the programme scheduled for March 9, which is being organized in connection with preparations for Census 2027.
The programme will be chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, who also heads the Union Territory-level Census Coordination Committee.
“This is a significant event. It will mark the formal declaration of the Census and trainings for Phase-1 of the Census -House Listing Operations (HLO)- will immediately start after it,” sources said, adding that all Deputy Commissioners, Divisional Commissioners, and the Commissioners of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Jammu Municipal Corporation will participate in the programme.
When contacted, Director of Census Operations and Citizen Registration for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Kumar Sharma, said that a conference is being organized regarding the Census .
“As part of preparations for the Census, we are holding a one-day conference on Monday,” Sharma said.
He added that preparations are in full swing for the first digital Census.
The programme is being held ahead of the House Listing Operations (HLO) which will be undertaken from June 1 to June 30 in the Union Territory.
The phase 2-the population enumeration exercise-will be undertaken in September 2026 in snow-bound areas and in February 2027 in the plains of the Union Territory.
The Census carries added significance for Jammu & Kashmir, as it will be the first time since 1941 that Paharis- granted Scheduled Tribe status by the Union Government in 2023 -will be counted as a separate tribe.
Like other parts of the country, the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in J&K will also be enumerated as a separate entity for the first time.
It will further provide authentic data about the actual number of people availing benefits under reserved categories, except the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category.
The Census data will also become the basis for the next delimitation exercise, which could begin immediately after the completion of the Census in 2027. (KNO)
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