The Centre has amended the Census Rules, 1990, allowing teachers from government, aided and unaided private educational institutions to be appointed as enumerators for Census 2027. The notification was issued on Friday by Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan.
The amended rules also permit clerical staff, government officials and other suitable individuals appointed by state governments and Union territory administrations to undertake enumeration duties.
Previously, the rules listed teachers, clerks, officials and other persons as eligible for Census work without clearly specifying the categories of institutions from which they could be appointed. The revised provisions explicitly include teachers from private educational institutions, societies and trusts.
The amendment comes amid legal challenges to the deployment of teaching staff from private unaided schools for Census duties, including petitions filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
According to the notification, the eligible personnel include teachers from government and private educational institutions, clerks and officials working with central and state governments, local authorities, public sector undertakings, banks and other establishments. State governments and Union territory administrations may also appoint any other person they consider suitable for the task.
Census 2027 Schedule
The Census exercise will take place in different regions according to local administrative and climatic conditions. House-listing operations in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were conducted from September 1 to September 30.
In Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and areas outside the snow-bound regions of Uttarakhand, population enumeration is scheduled from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027, in view of assembly elections scheduled for 2027.
The Centre has also deferred house-listing operations in Manipur. In the remaining parts of the country, the exercise is expected to begin in February 2027.
The Census will collect information on demographic, socio-cultural and economic conditions, along with household data related to migration and fertility. The exercise is expected to provide updated population information to support government planning and policy decisions.
