JAMMU: Marking World Population Day, the Directorate of Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Saturday organised a Walkathon simultaneously at Jammu and Srinagar to promote awareness about the importance of population data, evidence-based planning and the forthcoming Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027.
The Walkathon was organised under the leadership of Amit Sharma, Chief Principal Census Officer (CPCO) and Director Census Operations (DCO), Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and witnessed enthusiastic participation by officers and officials of the Directorate at both Jammu and Srinagar. The event reflected the Directorate’s continued commitment towards creating greater public awareness about Census 2027 and encouraging active participation in the country’s largest statistical and administrative exercise.
Amit Sharma, CPCO along with Manmeet Singh Loomba, Deputy Chief Principal Census Officer, flagged off the Walkathon from Jammu headquarters wherein all the officers and officials joined him towards created mass awareness towards population data collection on World Population Day 2026. They all carried big banners and placards to spread this message to the public and make them realize the importance of accurate population data sets for growth and development in the nation. Similar flag off was conducted by DCO in Srinagar headquarters wherein Shri Amit Bhargav, Deputy Chief Principal Census Officer, flagged off this Walkathon and all officers and officials there took a round of prominent areas including Dal Lake, Nehru Park, Dalgate, Lal Chowk, Iqbal Park before culmination of Walkathon.
Addressing the participants, CPCO Amit Sharma said that World Population Day 2026 serves as an important reminder of the critical role that reliable population data plays in nation-building. He observed that the Census provides the foundation for evidence-based policy formulation and supports planning in key sectors such as healthcare, education, employment, infrastructure, disaster management, urban development and various welfare programmes.
Highlighting the significance of Census 2027, Amit Sharma stated that it is India’s first Census to be conducted through digital means, incorporating modern technologies such as mobile applications, geo-spatial mapping, digital monitoring systems and online Self-Enumeration. He noted that the successful completion of the Self-Enumeration and House Listing Operations phases has laid a strong foundation for the forthcoming Population Enumeration phase and reaffirmed the Directorate’s commitment to ensuring that every resident is covered during the Census exercise.
Describing the Walkathon as a symbolic reaffirmation of the Directorate’s commitment towards an inclusive, technology-driven and people-centric Census, Amit Sharma called upon all officers and officials to continue serving as ambassadors of Census 2027 by spreading awareness within their communities and encouraging maximum public participation. He emphasised that accurate Census data is the cornerstone of effective governance, equitable resource allocation and sustainable development, making every resident’s participation vital to the success of Census 2027.
