Daltonganj: The house listing and household census exercise, a crucial component of Census 2027, commenced in Jharkhand on May 16. However, a recent report indicates that only 3.88% of the targeted groups across the state have been covered in the past 14 days.
Progress Report Highlights
According to a house listing block (HLB) progress report for Jharkhand, as of 7:13 am on May 30, only 2,733 out of 70,521 house listing blocks have been covered. Additionally, house listing and house census have not yet started in more than 15,000 house listing blocks. The exercise, spanning 24 districts and 9 municipal corporations, is scheduled for completion by June 14.
Challenges Ahead
Sources claim that achieving 100% coverage by June 14 will be difficult. Pre-monsoon rain and strong winds are expected to pose significant hurdles, potentially slowing down field operations further.
District-Wise Disparities
District-wise figures reveal sharp contrasts in progress. Koderma has achieved 25.14% coverage, followed by Godda at 13.54%, Latehar at 9.98%, and Palamu at 3.53%. In contrast, Bokaro stands at 1.12%, Gumla at 1.11%, Ramgarh at 0.87%, and Ranchi at a mere 0.12%.
Officer Shortage Blamed
Sources attribute the delay to a shortage of officers in charge, particularly block development officers or circle officers. In Palamu, district census officer Kundan Kumar, who also serves as additional collector, stated, “We are suffering from officers’ crunch. It’s affecting the pace of work.”
Efforts are underway to address the shortage, but with the deadline approaching, the state faces an uphill task to complete the enumeration on time.
