- Strategic Move: Govt Extends J&K–Ladakh DCO’s Tenure to Steer Landmark Digital Census
New Delhi, Dec 11, 2025: The Government of India has approved a significant extension in the central deputation tenure of Shri Amit Sharma, IAS (AGMUT: 2012), currently serving as Director Census Operations (DCO) and Director Citizen Registration for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. According to an official Office Memorandum issued today, his deputation—which was earlier set to conclude on December 31, 2025—has now been extended until March 31, 2030, with the possibility of further continuation under the Central Staffing Scheme.
The extension is seen as a recognition of Sharma’s administrative capability and the critical role he is expected to play in one of India’s most ambitious governance exercises. Having joined the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India (ORGI), Ministry of Home Affairs, only recently in November, Sharma has been entrusted with overseeing what will be the country’s first-ever fully digital and paperless Census, a landmark transformation in national data collection methodologies.
Officials familiar with the development noted that conducting a digital census in the challenging and diverse terrain of J&K and Ladakh will require strong leadership, meticulous planning, and deep familiarity with the region, qualities that Amit Sharma is believed to bring to the table. His extended tenure ensures continuity and stability at a time when the Census architecture is undergoing historic technological reform.
As Director Census Operations, Sharma will be responsible for supervising data digitisation, coordinating field operations, ensuring the accuracy of enumeration and facilitating the integration of digital tools that will define India’s modern census framework. The assignment gains added significance as it allows him to execute this major national exercise on his home turf, a factor widely viewed as an asset for both the region and the Centre.
With this extension, the Government has reaffirmed its confidence in Sharma’s administrative leadership as India prepares to embark on a census that will set new standards in transparency, efficiency and technological adoption.