New Appointments for Census Operations in India: Who's Leading the Charge?

Key Appointments Announced for Census Operations

New Delhi: The Indian government has announced the appointment of Directors for Census Operations (DCO) and Directors of Citizen Registration (DCR) for several states, including Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, as per an official order released on Thursday.

M Sundaresh Babu, an IAS officer from the 2012 batch of the Karnataka cadre, will serve as the DCO and DCR for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. His counterpart from Odisha, Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, also a 2012-batch IAS officer, has been designated for the same roles in Odisha.

Deep Shikha Sharma, an Indian Forest Service officer from the AGMUT cadre, will take on the responsibilities for Himachal Pradesh.

The appointments for Babu and Sharma are effective from June 23, while Kalyan's role commenced on June 16, according to the gazette notification.

All three officials will remain in their positions until December 31, 2025, or until further notice.

These DCOs will oversee the Census operations in their respective states, adhering to the guidelines set by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

The upcoming 2027 Census marks the 16th decennial Census since the first one was conducted in 1872, establishing a standardized approach across the nation.

This will be the eighth Census conducted post-Independence, following the postponement of the 2021 Census due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census process consists of two phases: the first phase, starting April 1, 2026, will involve house-listing operations, assessing housing conditions, and gathering information on household assets and amenities.

The second phase, commencing February 1, 2027, will focus on population enumeration and collecting demographic, socio-economic, and cultural details of each household member, as outlined in a letter from the Registrar General of India.

Additionally, caste enumeration will be included in this Census, as confirmed by a government statement.

To facilitate this extensive operation, over 3.4 million enumerators and supervisors, along with approximately 130,000 Census functionaries, will be deployed.