India amends Census Rules to allow private school teachers as enumerators

The central government on Friday amended the Census Rules, 1990, to expand the pool of eligible personnel for census enumeration work. The modification allows states and Union territories to appoint teachers from aided and unaided private educational institutions alongside government staff for Census duties.

A gazette notification issued by Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan specified that teachers from government schools, local authority institutions, and private bodies—including societies and trusts—can now be appointed as enumerators. The amendment also permits the engagement of clerks and officials from central and state governments, local authorities, and various establishments including public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, and companies.

The regulatory change comes in response to multiple high court orders that had stayed government directives to requisition services of private institution staff for Census work. By broadening the definition of eligible enumerators, the amendment seeks to address concerns raised by courts while ensuring adequate personnel availability for the census exercise.

The notification grants state governments and Union territories flexibility in selecting enumerators from a wider range of qualified candidates, potentially easing administrative challenges in deploying workforce for the national census enumeration process.