KISHTWAR, MARCH 24: The District Administration Kishtwar (Principal Census Office, Kishtwar) under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar (Principal Census Officer), Pankaj Kumar Sharma in collaboration with the Directorate of Census Operations, J&K, commenced a comprehensive three-day Phase-I training program for census functionaries for the upcoming Census 2027 today.
The training is being imparted to all trainees by officials from the Directorate of Census Operations, J&K, including Deputy Director (Census & Operations Office Jammu) Manmeet Singh; Master Trainer and Resource Person Vinay Kumar Singh; Office Superintendent Anil Sharma and other officers.
The first phase of training focuses on the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) aimed at equipping census functionaries with the skills to conduct accurate and efficient enumeration. This phase, scheduled from April to September 2026, involves house listing and the housing census, during which enumerators will visit every household to collect data on housing conditions and socio-economic factors.
The second phase, Population Enumeration will take place between February and March 2027, focusing on gathering detailed demographic information.
The three-day training program in Kishtwar aims to prepare census functionaries for this task and will be conducted on March 24, 2026 (Day 1), March 25, 2026 (Day 2) and April 2, 2026 (Day 3).
Addressing participants, the Deputy Commissioner emphasized the significance of the census, describing it as one of the most important national exercises. He noted Kishtwar’s unique challenges due to its large area and sparse population, urging enumerators to ensure accuracy and visit every household.
The Deputy Commissioner highlighted the importance of accuracy, urging enumerators to record all 34 prescribed parameters accurately. “Every citizen counts,” he remarked.
Additional insights were provided by ADC Pawan Kotwal on the historical evolution and relevance of the census. Deputy Director (Census & Operations Office Jammu), Manmeet Singh explained the preparatory phase and emphasized the role of charge officers and field officials.
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where participants engaged with trainers and sought clarifications on their doubts.
The meeting was attended by ADC Kishtwar Pawan Kotwal (District Census Officer); ACD Kishtwar Manoj Kumar; SDM Marwah, Dr. Mohd Ashraf (SDCO); SDM Paddar, Dr. Amit Kumar (SDCO); SDM Chatroo Nayeem Ur Rehman (SDCO); DSEO Kishtwar Ramesh Kumar (ADCO); Tehsildars as Charge Census Officers and other clerical and technical staff related to the census.