Centre amends Census rules, private teachers can now be enumerators
What's the story
The central government has amended the Census Rules, 1990, to widen the categories of people eligible for appointment as enumerators. The new rules include teachers from both government and private educational institutions. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified these changes under Section 18(1) of the Census Act, 1948.
Twitter Post
Notification of amendment
Ministry of Home Affairs notifies the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026 pic.twitter.com/DBy2hhdHNe
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2026
New categories
Legal challenge against deploying teachers for census duty
The amended rules also include clerks and other officials of the central and state governments, local authorities, public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, companies, etc.
The changes come amid a legal challenge against deploying teachers from private unaided schools for census duty.
The Haryana Progressive Schools Conference had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against this practice.
Legal proceedings
HC stayed communications seeking details of teachers
On October 8, Justice Harpreet Singh Brar stayed two communications from the Haryana government seeking details of teachers available for census duty.
The matter will be heard on April 29, 2027.
The petitioner argued that under Section 4A of the Census Act, only officers and staff of local authorities can be requisitioned for such work.
Upcoming census
Census to be conducted in 2 phases
The 2027 Census is the eighth since Independence and will be conducted in two phases: house-listing and housing census, followed by population enumeration.
The Union Cabinet has approved ₹11,718 crore for this exercise.
Population enumeration in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and parts of Uttarakhand will be held from December 1, 2026 to January 4, 2027 due to upcoming Assembly elections.
Census schedule
House-listing exercise deferred in Manipur
The house-listing exercise for Census 2027 has been deferred in Manipur. In Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, it was conducted from September 1 to 30.
The rest of India will see this exercise likely begin next February. It will collect demographic, socio-cultural, and economic data along with migration and fertility information from each household.