New Delhi, Mar 17: Amit Sharma, IAS, Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, on Tuesday underscored the importance of Census 2027 in shaping climate resilience strategies.
Speaking at the valedictory session of the three-day Resilience and Sustainability Summit (RESSUMMIT) 2026 at IIT Roorkee’s Greater Noida campus, Sharma said the upcoming Census would provide critical, granular data to support evidence-based policymaking in the face of rapidly changing climatic conditions.
The summit, themed “Vision 2047”, brought together policymakers, academicians, researchers, representatives from key government bodies including NDMA and DST, as well as international experts.
Invited as a special guest, Sharma highlighted the growing impact of climate change across regions of the country—from the northern and northeastern belts to peninsular India—attributing it to global warming and changing lifestyle patterns over the past two decades.
He said Census 2027 would serve as a vital tool in understanding demographic and household-level indicators such as access to internet, mobile phones and other resources, which could help assess consumption patterns, recycling needs and sustainable resource use.
“Accurate and detailed data from Census 2027 can act as a catalyst in designing targeted strategies for climate resilience and sustainability,” Sharma said.
Drawing from his administrative experience across diverse geographies including Ladakh, Mizoram and Madhya Pradesh, Sharma also shared key initiatives undertaken during his tenure in Ladakh to promote environmental sustainability and move towards a net-zero emissions framework.
These include the operationalisation of hydrogen fuel cell buses for public transport, introduction of electric vehicles for freight movement, earthquake preparedness exercises, deployment of an NDRF unit, studies to address glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risks, hot springs management, natural gas exploration in Puga, and expansion of solar energy projects.
He also appreciated the organisers for hosting the summit at IIT Roorkee, noting that discussions were structured across key thematic areas including climate knowledge, regional vulnerabilities, health and well-being, industry, safety and policy dialogue.
The valedictory session was attended by Prof Anil K. Gupta, Secretary of RESSUMMIT 2026 and Organisational Chair at IIT Roorkee; Prof Saket Kushwaha, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ladakh; Dr Andre Lindner, Managing Director and Advisor for Internationalisation at Dresden University of Technology, Germany; and Prof Kalachand Sain, Chairperson of the Expert Committee, NMSKCC.
The organisers expressed gratitude to Sharma and other experts for their insights, emphasising that Census 2027 will play a crucial role in enabling informed strategies to address emerging climate challenges.
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