Union government expands eligible census enumerators to include teachers and officials

On Friday, the Union government revised the Census Rules, 1990 through the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026, widening the categories of persons who may be appointed as census enumerators. The Ministry of Home Affairs, invoking Section 18(1) of the Census Act, 1948, now permits teachers employed by government-run, local-authority, aided or unaided private institutions, societies or trusts to serve as enumerators. It also adds clerks and other officials from the Central government, state governments, local authorities and a variety of establishments such as public-sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, companies, institutions, societies and trusts.

State governments and Union Territory administrations may further select any suitable individuals. The amendment substitutes the existing entry 5 in the table under Rule 3 and became effective after its gazette publication. The notification was issued by Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner.