Chandigarh, September 16:
To review and streamline preparations for the forthcoming Census operations in the state, the Punjab State Level Census Coordination Committee (SLCCC) held its first meeting today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Punjab Mr. KAP Sinha at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh.
Senior officers including Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Local Government, Revenue, Rural Development & Panchayats, Planning, Finance and School Education departments were present during the meeting, while Deputy Commissioners and Municipal Commissioners joined the deliberations through video conferencing.
During the meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Department of Local Government has been nominated as the nodal officer for the Census related activities in the state of Punjab and the first meeting was convened by Dr. Navjot Khosa, Director Census Operations, Punjab, who made a detailed presentation on the Census process, its legal framework, Census Calendar and ongoing preparatory measures.
Key agenda points covered included discussion on circulars No. 1, 2 and 3, rural-urban classification norms, concepts of outgrowth and urban agglomeration, map-related matters and the upcoming Pre-Test of Digital Census 2027 in selected districts Jalandhar, Amritsar and Malerkotla.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Secretary Mr. KAP Sinha underlined the need for wholehearted cooperation from all Deputy Commissioners and Municipal Commissioners to ensure the smooth conduct of Census operations. He directed the Deputy Commissioners to finalize jurisdictional frameworks and establish dedicated Census Cells at district and corporation levels for effective monitoring.
The Chief Secretary also instructed strict adherence to guidelines issued by the Directorate of Census Operations and stressed that administrative boundaries must be finalized by December 31, 2025. Special instructions were issued to the Deputy Commissioners of Amritsar and Malerkotla along with the Municipal Commissioner, Jalandhar to make requisite proactive arrangements for the upcoming pre-test activities of the Digital Census.
The deliberations underlined that coordinated efforts and meticulous planning hold the key to the successful conduct of the Census in Punjab. All stakeholders were urged to accord top priority to their assigned responsibilities and ensure timely completion of all preparatory activities in line with the Census calendar.
