Sikkim gears up for digital, caste census 2027 at state coordination meet

A state-level meeting on the first phase of Census 2027 was held under the chairmanship of Sikkim Chief Secretary R Telang here on Tuesday, an official statement said.

The Sikkim government had constituted a high-level state census coordination committee under the chairmanship of chief secretary with senior officials to ensure effective inter-departmental coordination and successful execution of all phases of the census.

Director of Census Operations, Sikkim, Karma R Bonpo, presented a detailed overview of the upcoming census process in the meeting. He also highlighted the use of mobile applications for data collection, digital layout mapping, data security protocols, pre-test operations, and the drafting of the District Census Handbook (DCHB).

The chief secretary stressed the importance of meticulous planning and flawless execution of the census process. He underlined that the quality of data collected will directly influence the implementation and funding of future centrally sponsored schemes in the state. He urged all departments and officials involved to approach the task with seriousness and strive for accuracy at every stage, the statement said.

The meeting highlighted Sikkim's proactive stance in gearing up for Census 2027, which will be the first fully digital census and will also include a caste census-a significant shift in the data landscape of the country.

The meeting was attended by heads of departments, district collectors, representatives from all districts, senior officials from the Directorate of Census Operations, and officials from various departments of the state government, it said.