In a major push toward public awareness and community participation, a mega district-level self-enumeration awareness programme Commenced from 17th May, will continue till 31st May, 2026 for census 2027 was successfully conducted today here at the Government Degree College (GDC) Shopian.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) who is also Principal Census Officer, Shopian, Shishir Gupta was the Chief Guest on the occasion, who emphasized the landmark shift toward citizen-led digital data collection. Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Commissioner underscored the critical importance of accurate, timely data and called upon the entire administrative machinery to act as catalysts for public engagement and also ensure 100% data collection and message to all to aware about self-enumeration.
"Coordinated administrative efforts and grassroots public awareness are the absolute pillars for the smooth, successful execution of census 2027 across the district," the DC remarked. He strictly urged all officers and employees to not only actively participate in the process themselves but also to rigorously motivate the general public for maximum digital onboarding, the Self-Enumeration Windows.
The DC emphasized the significance of accurate data collection and urged all officers and officials to approach the training with utmost dedication to ensure the successful implementation of census- 2027 across the district. While speaking on the occasion, the DSEO (Additional District Census Officer), Shopian, Bilqees Zahoor said that the primary aim of self-enumeration process is the counting of the population and moving away from paper- based operations to now digital census.
She stressed that all details of the households must be provided and urged for taking part in the process of self-enumeration with dedication. The comprehensive training initiative was split into two separate, intensive sessions to ensure detailed coverage of the census modalities.
During the event, district coordinator, Naveen Ragu, master trainers, Irfan Ahmed and Bilal Ahmed and Field Trainer (FT), Feroz Ahmed Lone imparted crucial technical training to the participating officers, officials and other key stakeholders. FT briefed the participants about the question-answer hour of self-enumeration programme, highlighting it's significance in ensuring accurate data.
The sessions focused on equipping the staff with the necessary skills to seamlessly manage and execute the self- enumeration process. The district administration has finalized a comprehensive outreach framework to assist citizens during this 15-day window, ensuring that the transition to India's first heavily paperless census model is seamless and inclusive for every household in District Shopian.
During the sessions, participants were briefed about digital registration, data accuracy and public awareness measures to ensure smooth conduct of census- 2027 activities. Among others, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Zakir Hussain Faaz, Principal, GDC, Tariq Ahmed, officers, officials and stakeholders were present.