Chandigarh, September 21
A one-day Conference of Principal Census Officers (PCOs) for Phase-II of Census 2027 – Population Enumeration was held today at Hotel Mount View, Chandigarh, under the chairmanship of KAP Sinha, Chief Secretary, Punjab, to review the preparedness and operational readiness for the forthcoming Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027.
The conference was attended by members of the State Level Census Coordination Committee (SLCCC), Divisional Commissioners and all Principal Census Officers, comprising the Deputy Commissioners of the Districts and Municipal Commissioners of the Municipal Corporations.
At the outset, Dr. Navjot Khosa, Director, Census Operations, Punjab, welcomed the Chief Secretary, members of the SLCCC, Divisional Commissioners and all Principal Census Officers. The conference provided a comprehensive overview of the key components of Phase-II of Census 2027, including Population Enumeration preparedness, Enumeration Block (EB) finalisation, Human Resource planning, Training and deployment, PE questionnaire, Digital Tools, Self-Enumeration, Media and Publicity, field-level preparedness and administrative responsibilities.
Detailed presentations were made on operational and technical aspects to ensure coordinated, timely and accurate implementation of the Census within the stipulated timelines. Chief Secretary Emphasizes Census as a National Exercise. Addressing the participants, the Chief Secretary, emphasized that the Census is one of the most significant national exercises undertaken by the country and constitutes a vital foundation for demographic and socio-economic information used in governance, planning, policy formulation and delivery of public services.
CS stressed that the successful conduct of the Census requires not only meticulous administrative preparedness but also commitment, coordination, ownership and a strong sense of responsibility at every level. He called upon all Principal Census Officers to accord the exercise the highest priority and discharge their responsibilities with full dedication, accountability and ownership.
The Chief Secretary further emphasized that every stage of the Census process must be carefully planned, closely supervised and completed within the prescribed timelines. He underscored the importance of seamless coordination among the district administration, municipal bodies and all concerned departments to ensure complete coverage and maintain the accuracy, quality and credibility of the Census exercise.
CS further called upon the PCOs to provide effective leadership to the entire field machinery, ensuring that all Census functionaries are adequately trained, fully sensitised to their roles and responsibilities and prepared to undertake field operations in accordance with the prescribed guidelines.
Highlighting the importance of Census 2027 for the country, the Chief Secretary stated that Punjab has an important responsibility in ensuring the successful and accurate conduct of the exercise in the State. He urged all PCOs to personally monitor the preparedness and execution of the Census in their respective jurisdictions and ensure that the exercise is carried out with the highest standards of dedication, accuracy, completeness and responsibility.