Hardware dealers call on DCO Amit Sharma over Census 2027
Jammu, Jan 29: A delegation led by President of the Hardware, Paint and Sanitary Dealers Association, Jammu, Neeraj Gupta, on Wednesday called on Amit Sharma, Director Census Operations (DCO) and Director Citizen Registration (DCR), Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and apprised him of issues and concerns related to the forthcoming Digital Census 2027.
The delegation, which included Varun Sharma (Vice President), Krishan Dutt, Rajesh Gupta, Madhur Gupta and other members, sought clarity on aspects of proper enumeration of association members and accurate listing of goods and services during the Houselisting Operations (HLO) scheduled for June 2026.
Giving a patient hearing, Amit Sharma assured the delegation that due care would be taken to ensure accurate and comprehensive enumeration. He said proper houselisting and categorisation of goods and services would help in preparing reliable datasets, which in turn would support demand–supply forecasting and policy planning for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh based on Census 2027 figures.
Sharma also briefed the delegation on key features of the upcoming Census. He said the Houselisting Operations would be conducted in the first phase for one month in June 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in the second phase, in September 2026 in snow-bound areas and February 2027 in the plain areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation assured the DCO/DCR of full cooperation from the hardware, paint and sanitary dealers and allied industry. They said the association would actively support awareness campaigns and ensure focused participation of its members in what they described as the largest enumeration exercise in the country since 2011.
Amit Sharma informed the delegation that Census 2027 would be India’s first-ever fully paperless census, conducted entirely through digital means and supported by advanced technology and innovation. He said the digital census would have far-reaching implications for the country’s economy, demography, governance, and trade.
He further shared details of a new initiative—Self Enumeration (SE)—under which citizens will have the option to submit their data through a mobile application. The information will subsequently be verified by enumerators and supervisors during household visits. Sharma said the self-enumeration window would remain open for a fortnight prior to the scheduled HLO and Population Enumeration dates to facilitate wider public participation.
