Now Reading: 8 GB RAM rule worries Census enumerators in J&K
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8 GB RAM rule worries Census enumerators in J&K
The Story in Brief
A meeting in Doda on August 20, 2026, discussed the problem of Census enumerators in snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir possessing mobile phones below the required configuration for the first digital Census exercise. Census 2027 requires enumerators, mostly school teachers and government employees, to use personal phones with a minimum of 8 GB RAM and Android 13 or above to capture data through an app.
The Population Enumeration phase for Ladakh and snow-bound areas of J&K, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is scheduled from September 1 to September 30, 2026. Chief Principal Census Officer Amit Sharma stressed accurate data collection and directed intensifying awareness campaigns. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India had on August 14 notified 40 questions for this phase, adding 13 new data fields since Census 2011.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 8 GB RAM requirement is a practical bottleneck in remote Himalayan districts where government teachers on enumeration duty often use older or budget devices. The Census Act, 1948, makes it an offence to refuse or neglect furnishing information, but it does not compel an enumerator to use a personal phone. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which runs the Census, has not announced a device-provisioning budget or reimbursement policy. The real test will be whether the Directorate of Census Operations issues upgraded devices or relaxes the specification before the September 1 start date in J&K's snow-bound areas.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
