Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a meeting of the UT Level Census Coordination Committee (UTLCCC) to review the pace and progress of the ongoing House Listing Operations (HLO) being conducted as part of the first phase of the Census-2027 across the districts of J&K.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, PD&MD; Secretary, RDD and Director, Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh along with other concerned officers from Planning and Census Departments.
Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners attended the meeting through video conferencing.
During this meeting the Chief Secretary emphasized the importance of timely and accurate completion of the census exercise, describing it as a critical national activity that serves as the foundation for evidence-based planning and policy formulation.
He directed all Deputy Commissioners, District Census Officers and field functionaries to ensure full cooperation and coordination for achieving complete coverage of households and population groups across the UT.
The Chief Secretary further enjoined upon the Planning Department to closely monitor the progress of the House Listing Operations on a daily basis and ensure their meticulous completion by June 30, 2026.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining the prescribed timelines and directed that all necessary support be extended to the field functionaries engaged in the exercise. He also advised that the staff deployed for the Census operations be retained in their present assignments until the successful and satisfactory completion of the exercise.
The Director Census Operations, J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma briefed the meeting about the pace and progress achieved till date. He divulged that extensive preparatory arrangements have been completed for the successful conduct of the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) exercise across Jammu and Kashmir.
Sharma also presented a detailed review of field data collection activities, self-enumeration progress, formation of House Listing Blocks (HLBs), and arrangements for enumeration of migratory populations during the meeting.
He informed that a total of 23,887 House Listing Blocks (HLBs) have been created across 295 Census Charges in Jammu and Kashmir. Field operations have already commenced in 14,279 HLBs, with the enumeration process progressing steadily across districts, Sharma added.
The Chief Secretary also took note of the significant achievement of Jammu and Kashmir in the Self-Enumeration component of the Census. It was revealed that the UT has secured the first position among all Union Territories and eighth position among States and Union Territories where self-enumeration has been completed so far.
It was given out that as on June 1, 2026, a total of 6.67 lakh households had successfully completed self-enumeration through the digital platform.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed the special arrangements put in place for enumeration of migratory and transhumant populations. The meeting was informed that a comprehensive mechanism has been devised in coordination with the Forest, Tribal Affairs, Sheep Husbandry, Animal Husbandry, School Education Departments and district administrations to ensure 100 percent coverage of migratory communities during the HLO phase.
Detailed information regarding migratory routes, tribal hostels, mobile schools, sheep husbandry camps and other congregation points has been shared with all concerned districts.
Moreover it was highlighted that the district administrations were advised to adopt flexible strategies, including fixing special enumeration dates and creating additional House Listing Blocks wherever required, to ensure that no eligible household or population group is left out of the census exercise.
Chief Secretary directed officers to maintain close supervision over the remaining preparatory activities and ensure strict adherence to census guidelines and timelines. He underscored the legal provisions available under the Census Act, 1948, and urged all departments and local authorities to extend full assistance to census personnel in discharge of their duties.
He reiterated that the success of the Census exercise hinges upon the coordinated efforts of all departments, field functionaries and district administrations. He urged all stakeholders to discharge their responsibilities with utmost diligence, efficiency and accountability to ensure accurate and timely completion of the exercise.