THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, June 1: Jharkhand’s ongoing House Listing and House Census (HLB) exercise for Census 2027 is significantly behind schedule, with official data showing that less than 4 percent of the target has been achieved in the first 14 days of field operations.
According to an official HLB Progress Report for Jharkhand Census 2027, accessed by The Jharkhand Story Network, only 3.88 percent of the houselisting and house census work had been completed as of 7:13 am on May 30, 2026, despite the exercise formally commencing on May 16.
The state has a total of 70,521 housing listing blocks, but only 2,733 blocks had completed the exercise by the reporting date, raising concerns about the state’s ability to meet the June 14 deadline set by the Census Directorate of India and endorsed by the Jharkhand government.
More Than 15,000 Houselisting Blocks Yet to Start
Officials said the exercise has not even begun in over 15,000 houselisting blocks across the state, indicating serious implementation and planning challenges at the district level.
The houselisting and house census began with a self-enumeration phase from May 1 to May 15, followed by field enumeration from May 16. However, progress has remained sluggish, with daily completion rates registering only fractional percentage increases.
With no indication from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India regarding an extension of the deadline, officials fear that achieving 100 percent coverage by June 14 may prove difficult.
Wide Variations in District Performance
The progress report reveals significant disparities among districts.
Kodarma has emerged as the best-performing district, recording 25.14 percent completion as of May 30.
In contrast, Ranchi, the state capital district, has completed only 0.12 percent of the houselisting exercise, one of the lowest rates in the state. Ramgarh has achieved just 0.87 percent, while Bokaro and Gumla have recorded 1.12 percent and 1.11 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, districts such as Godda and Latehar, which often receive less attention in administrative performance discussions, have posted comparatively better figures, with 13.54 percent and 9.98 percent completion rates respectively.
Shortage of Charge Officers Affecting Progress
Administrative sources attribute the slow pace primarily to a chronic shortage of Charge Officers, who play a crucial role in supervising census operations.
A Charge Officer is generally either a Block Development Officer (BDO) or a Circle Officer (CO). Vacancies in these positions across several districts have reportedly hampered field-level coordination.
Highlighting the challenge in Palamu district, District Census Officer Kundan Kumar said several blocks, including Satbarwa, Lesliganj, Panki and Tarhassi, currently have neither BDOs nor COs.
“We have a serious crunch of Charge Officers. It’s affecting the pace. We hope our team of enumerators will make a fast comeback,” Kumar said.
He acknowledged the difficulty of meeting the deadline.
“It’s a terrific race against time to complete the houselisting and house census in Palamu by June 14.”
According to Kumar, Palamu has achieved more than 3 percent completion since the exercise began on May 16.
When asked about reports of officer transfers before and during the census operation, Kumar declined to comment, saying:
“I am nobody to comment on this.”
Weather May Further Impact Census Operations
Officials also expressed concern that pre-monsoon rainfall and strong winds expected in the coming days could further slow field operations across the state.
The ongoing exercise covers all 24 districts and nine municipal corporations in Jharkhand. Sources said work remains a non-starter in some municipal corporations even two weeks after the launch of the field survey.
Homeless Population Not Covered in Current Phase
Officials clarified that the current May 16–June 14 houselisting and house census phase does not include the enumeration of homeless and roofless persons living in locations such as roadside shelters, under bridges, railway platforms, staircases, and inside large pipes. Their enumeration will be undertaken separately as per census protocols.