Jammu, Mar 29: Amit Sharma, Director of Census Operations and Citizen Registration for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh under the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Sunday initiated the outreach campaign for Census 2027, urging citizens to actively participate in what is envisaged as the country’s first fully digital population enumeration exercise.
Launching the campaign during an event organised by Career Abacus Group here, Sharma underlined the centrality of the Census in shaping policy planning, resource allocation and developmental priorities, particularly as the exercise is being undertaken after a gap of nearly 16 years.
Addressing a large gathering of students, parents and community stakeholders, he highlighted the transition to a paperless framework for Census 2027, noting that a dedicated self-enumeration application would allow households to directly submit their data. The application, he said, would be activated roughly a fortnight ahead of the houselisting and population enumeration phases.
Referring to recent preparatory developments, Sharma noted that the official mascots of Census 2027, “Vikas” and “Pragati”, had been unveiled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, symbolising the broader developmental vision linked to the nationwide exercise.
Calling for collective responsibility, Sharma described students and their families as “brand ambassadors” of the campaign, urging them to disseminate awareness and encourage participation at the grassroots level to ensure comprehensive coverage.
The programme commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Sharma in the presence of senior officials, including Vikramjeet Singh and Prasanna Ramaswamy G, among others.
On the occasion, awards, medals and certificates were presented to students for their performance in abacus training and related academic activities, with organisers highlighting the role of alternative learning methodologies in nurturing analytical skills.
Speakers at the event also acknowledged Sharma’s administrative contributions across diverse sectors, including digital governance and infrastructure management, in regions such as Mizoram, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
The event concluded with a felicitation of the chief guest by Arvind Sharma, who observed that the interaction had served to motivate young learners and reinforce the value of innovative educational approaches.
The Census 2027 exercise is scheduled to be conducted across all States and Union Territories, marking a transition towards technology-driven data collection with an emphasis on accuracy, transparency and public participation.
