Residents of even most remote & snow-bound parts are being covered
Arvind Sharma
JAMMU Tawi, Sept 25: The residents of even the most remote and snow-bound parts of Ladakh are being covered in the ongoing population enumeration exercise for Census 2027, with senior Census officials reviewing the fieldwork to ensure complete and accurate data collection.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, undertook his maiden visit to the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh to assess the progress of population enumeration and the preparedness of officials involved in the exercise.
He was accompanied by Amit Sharma, Chief Principal Census Officer and Director Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
During the four-day visit, the officials reviewed Census operations with the UT and district administrations, Special Charges and field functionaries.
They also travelled to the most remote and the snow-bound locations to assess how enumeration was progressing under difficult geographical conditions.
At Leh, Narayan met Ladakh Chief Secretary, Ashish Kundra and reviewed the overall progress of Population Enumeration and the preparedness of the field machinery.
Amit Sharma briefed him on arrangements for covering civilian areas as well as Special Charges, with the Census Directorate coordinating with the UT Administration, district authorities and field functionaries to follow the prescribed schedule and data-quality standards.
The review also covered strategically important establishments. Meetings were held with Nodal and Charge Officers of Special Charges, including the Air Force, CRPF, ITBP, CISF and BRO.
Discussions focused on enumeration progress, field preparedness and coordination to ensure effective coverage of these establishments.
The officials later reviewed the Census exercise with the Kargil District Administration during the Zanskar tour and interacted with Enumerators and Supervisors.
They sought feedback on ground-level challenges, operational issues and the support required by personnel involved in the exercise.
A key part of the visit was the assessment of enumeration in remote and snow-bound areas. Narayan, along with Amit Sharma, visited Nubra, Chumathang and Chushul in Nyoma, where they interacted with field personnel and reviewed the progress of enumeration.
The visits allowed the senior officials to directly assess the implementation of Census procedures in difficult terrain.
The functioning of the Census mobile application was also reviewed. Enumerators and Supervisors shared their experiences of using the digital application in actual field conditions and highlighted practical difficulties and suggestions for improvement.
For Ladakh, the exercise has particular significance as the entire Union Territory is being covered for the population enumeration during September 2026.
The exercise involves an estimated 637 Enumeration Blocks, following the completion of House Listing Operations covering 579 House listing Blocks across 17 Charges.
It is also the first Census exercise in Ladakh since the region became a Union Territory in 2019.