Chandigarh, November 5
A meeting of State Nodal Officers for Special Charges was held today under the chairpersonship of Dr Navjot Khosa IAS Director of Census Operations, Punjab to orient the state nodal officers and review preparations for Population Enumeration (Phase-II) of Census 2027 in restricted-access areas.
The meeting focused on ensuring secure, accurate and time-bound enumeration in Special Charges, which include Defence areas, CAPF areas, camps and establishments, Training Centres, Scientific and Research Centres, and operational / forward and inaccessible areas, where access to civilian enumerators is restricted.
It was informed that Population Enumeration (Phase-II) will be conducted from 1st December 2026 to 4th January 2027, followed by Revisional Round from 5th to 9th January 2027. The Reference Date for Census 2027 is 00:00 hours of 5th January 2027.
The meeting decided that the State Nodal Officers will identify all Special Charges across the state, assess the estimated population to be covered under each charge, and share the finalized list with the concerned District Census Officer (DCO). It was further decided that a Gazetted Officer will be designated as the Charge Officer for every Special Charge to oversee the Census operations.
The DCO Punjab will provide the required Census material, including Instruction Manuals, blank Census Schedules, location codes, and other related documents. Data entry for these Special Charges will be carried out at the respective locations through a separate module to be provided by the Office of the Registrar General of India.
To ensure smooth conduct of the Census exercise, the training of Special Charge Officers will be held on 12 November 2026 at NITTTR, Sector 26, Chandigarh. Thereafter, the training of Enumerators and Supervisors will be organized by the respective Special Charge Officers in coordination with the State Nodal Officers, Principal Census Office (PCO), and DCO Punjab. It was also decided that the training of all Enumerators and Supervisors (E&S) deployed under Special Charges must be completed by 30 November 2026.
The meeting emphasised close coordination between the State Nodal Officers, Special Charge Officers and DCO Punjab, for timely training and fieldwork, so that enumeration in Special Charges is completed accurately and within the prescribed timelines.