Census Director conducts field visits across J&K to assess pre-test progress

Amit Sharma, Director Census Operations (DCO) and Director Citizen Registration (DCR) for J&K and Ladakh, conducted multiple visits to census pre-test locations to ensure the successful and timely completion of the month-long exercise, which will serve as the foundation for Census 2026–27 across the nation.

Sharma first undertook an extensive tour of Kangan tehsil in Ganderbal district, selected as the rural location for the pre-test in Kashmir. He was accompanied by Joint Director Arun Kumar, Assistant Director Vijay Kumar, and other census officials. During the visit, the team held a detailed interaction with Kangan SDM Dr Nasir Ali and others, who briefed them on the implementation of the pre-test over the past month and highlighted key challenges that need to be addressed before the national census.

In the second phase, Sharma and his team visited the Ramgarh Municipal Committee in Samba district, chosen as the urban pre-test site in the Jammu division. He was accompanied by Deputy Director Census Manmeet Singh, Assistant Director Jatinder Kumar, and other officials involved in the activity. A meeting-cum-interaction session was held with the Ramgarh Tehsildar, Municipal Committee officials, enumerators, and supervisors, during which their feedback and suggestions were collected to help ensure the success of the upcoming census. Sharma also conducted random field visits to gather public feedback on the pre-test.

During the tours and meetings in both divisions of J&K, Amit Sharma emphasised that the pre-test learnings—including technical issues being resolved during the exercise—will serve as crucial inputs for conducting a successful census in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh.