No Room for Omissions: J&K Govt Issues Circular On Mandatory Census Duties for Field Staff

Ziraat Times Team Report

Srinagar, June 6: The Jammu & Kashmir Government has issued a circular outlining the roles, responsibilities and statutory obligations of teaching staff and other government officials engaged in the upcoming Census-2027 exercise, stressing that census duties are mandatory and governed by the provisions of the Census Act, 1948.

According to Circular No. 13-JK(GAD) of 2026, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on June 5, the House Listing Operation (HLO) of Census-2027 is scheduled to be conducted across the Union Territory from June 1 to June 30, 2026. A large number of government employees, particularly teachers and field-level officials, have been appointed as Enumerators and Supervisors for the exercise.

The circular states that census-related assignments are statutory in nature and must be carried out within prescribed timelines to ensure the successful completion of the nationwide enumeration process. It also reiterates provisions of the Census Act relating to penalties for refusal, neglect, or failure to perform census duties.

Supervisors Assigned Quality Control and Monitoring Responsibilities

The government has designated Supervisors as key officials responsible for technical configuration, operational guidance, field boundary authentication and quality control within their assigned census circles.

Among their major responsibilities are installation and registration of the official census mobile application, ensuring attendance of enumerators in mandatory training programmes, verification of House Listing Blocks (HLBs) and Enumeration Blocks (EBs), and preparation of supervisory layout maps.

Supervisors have also been tasked with validating data uploaded through the mobile application, monitoring complete field coverage to avoid omissions and duplication, assisting in enumeration of homeless populations, overseeing paper-based data entry where required, and ensuring timely submission of records, forms and coverage certificates to Charge Officers.

The circular further directs Supervisors to maintain implementation timelines and undertake any additional census-related assignments delegated by authorities.

Enumerators to Conduct Door-to-Door Surveys

Enumerators, who will serve as the primary field functionaries during the census operation, have been assigned responsibility for block-level mapping, structural numbering, household identification and collection of demographic information through door-to-door visits.

Their duties include downloading and registering the official census application, preparing detailed layout maps of assigned blocks, identifying and numbering structures, carrying official identification documents during fieldwork, and conducting interviews with residents for data collection.

The circular also requires Enumerators to verify information submitted through the Self-Enumeration (SE) system by cross-checking details with respondents before final acceptance or modification of records.

In addition, Enumerators have been instructed to ensure universal coverage, covering every house and household within their assigned block boundaries without omission.

Emphasis on Accountability

The General Administration Department emphasized that the responsibilities of both Supervisors and Enumerators have been clearly defined in line with instructions issued by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Officials have been reminded that census duties carry legal obligations and that failure to discharge assigned responsibilities may attract action under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948.

The circular has been issued as part of preparations for Census-2027, which will involve extensive field operations and digital data collection across Jammu & Kashmir.