DCHB fieldwork completed in J&K, Ladakh; February enumeration preparations underway: Amit Sharma
Amit Sharma, Chief Principal Census Officer (CPCO) and Director Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, at a press briefing today, informed that fieldwork for the District Census Handbook (DCHB) has been completed in both Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
CPCO Amit Sharma said that after completion of field data collection the Charge Officers will examine the entries submitted on the DCHB portal for completeness, consistency and accuracy, and will seek clarification or rectification where required. The data will also be checked against earlier Census records, particularly where village or town jurisdictions have changed. The exercise involved approximately 400 questions for each Village Directory and 420 questions for each Town Directory. This exercise will be completed by mid-November 2026 in all respects. The verified information will be submitted to the Directorate of Census Operations for authentication in accordance with the prescribed process.
Amit Sharma further explained that the information on village and town amenities and infrastructure collected under the DCHB exercise reflects the status as of 31 December 2025. He elaborated that the handbook’s Village and Town Directories bring together grassroots information on civic amenities and infrastructure, including education, healthcare, drinking water, sanitation, transport and communications. The CPCO noted that reliable village- and town-level information is valuable for district administration, local planning, academic research and the assessment of development needs.
During the Press Briefing, CPCO Amit Sharma said Population Enumeration in the non-snow-bound areas of J&K is scheduled for February 2027 and preparations for this phase will build on the experience gained in the snow-bound operation, with coordination among the Directorate, district administrations and concerned departments.
CPCO Amit Sharma also shared that the forthcoming phase will be supported by the prescribed cascade for officers, trainers, Enumerators and Supervisors. State and district-level officer training will be completed by mid-November 2026; Master Trainer training in the third week of November; Field Trainer training in the first and second weeks of December; and Enumerators’ and Supervisors’ training from third week of December 2026 to mid-January 2027. Sharma said the Directorate will coordinate training for J&K’s February phase in accordance with the applicable instructions and operational schedule.
Amit Sharma said Special Charges in non-snowbound areas will also receive focused operational attention during the forthcoming Population Enumeration. These include designated Defence, Central Armed Police Forces and other institutional establishments. The Directorate will coordinate with the concerned departments and authorities, taking account of each establishment’s requirements and ensuring that enumerators and supervisors are briefed on the prescribed procedures.
CPCO Amit Sharma especially highlighted the need to ensure complete coverage of the houseless population. Field teams will make arrangements to identify and enumerate people who do not reside in conventional households, including those found at pavements, transport hubs and other locations identified under Census instructions. He said that this coverage, alongside enumeration in Special Charges, will be included in the operational preparations for the February phase.
Concluding the briefing, Amit Sharma said that the Directorate is working on two parallel priorities: ensuring the accuracy and reliability of DCHB data through Charge Officer verification, and preparing the field machinery for Population Enumeration in the remaining non-snow-bound areas of UT of J&K. He emphasised that the coordination with district administrations and concerned departments, completion of training in time, and careful attention to the coverage of every population group as the next phase of Census 2027 approaches will be the key to successful conclusion of the Census exercise in J&K.
Chief Principal Census Officer, Amit Sharma, was accompanied by Joint Chief Principal Census Officer, Arun Kumar and Deputy Chief Principal Census Officer, Manmeet Singh Loomba.