Census 2027: New Rules Allow Private School Teachers as Enumerators

The Central government has made significant amendments to the Census Rules of 1990, enabling states and Union territories to appoint teachers from private institutions as enumerators for the upcoming Census 2027. This decision follows a legal challenge regarding the requisition of private school staff for census duties. The census, which was postponed due to the pandemic, is set to be the largest headcount exercise in India's history, with extensive data collection planned for early 2027. The changes aim to streamline the enumeration process amidst ongoing legal and logistical discussions.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 16, 2026, 16:35 IST

Changes to Census Rules Announced

New Delhi: On Friday, the Central government revised the Census Rules of 1990, permitting states and Union territories to enlist teachers from both aided and unaided private institutions as enumerators for the ongoing census process, according to officials.

The Registrar General of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, issued a gazette notification detailing the amendments, which now allow 'teachers, clerks, or any official or individual' to be designated as census officers by state governments and Union territories.

The recent notification clarifies that 'teachers from any educational institution, whether government, local authority, aided or unaided private bodies, societies, or trusts; clerks or officials from the Central government, state government, local authorities, or establishments (including public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, companies, institutions, societies, and trusts); and any individual deemed suitable by the state government or Union territory administration' can serve as Census officers.

These modifications follow a petition from the Haryana Progressive Schools Conference filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which contested the requisition of teaching staff from private unaided schools for census duties.

On October 8, Justice Harpreet Singh Brar issued a stay on two communications from the Haryana government requesting information on available teachers for census responsibilities. The case is scheduled for a hearing on April 29, 2027.

The petitioner argued that the government lacks the legal authority under the Census Act of 1948 or its associated rules to requisition teaching staff from private unaided schools for roles as enumerators or supervisors.

The petition emphasized that Section 4A of the Census Act specifically refers to officers and staff from local authorities for census-related tasks, and private unaided schools and their employees do not qualify as 'local authority'.

The upcoming 2027 Census, marking the eighth since India's independence, will be executed in two phases: 1) house-listing and housing census; 2) population enumeration.

Originally scheduled for 2021, this decennial exercise was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Union Cabinet has allocated ₹11,718 crore for the census, which is expected to be the largest headcount initiative to date.

Population enumeration in states like Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, along with regions not affected by snow in Uttarakhand, is set to occur from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027, coinciding with the Assembly elections in those areas.

Additionally, the Centre has postponed the house-listing operations for Census 2027 in Manipur, as per a notification from the RGI last month.

The census activities in Ladakh and snow-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand were conducted from September 1 to 30.

For the remaining parts of the country, the census is anticipated to commence next February, during which data will be gathered on various demographic, socio-cultural, and economic factors, including migration and fertility characteristics of individuals from each household.