Centre bars transfers till March 31, 2027:Home Secretary writes to Chief Secretaries for Census

The Central government has directed all states, including Madhya Pradesh, not to transfer officials and staff engaged in Census work until March 31, 2027. A letter to this effect has been sent by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to the Chief Secretaries of all states. States have been asked to issue formal instructions and inform the Registrar General and Census Commissioner accordingly. However, Madhya Pradesh has not yet issued such directives. Large-scale deployment in Madhya Pradesh The directive is expected to impact around 1.9 lakh officials and staff in Madhya Pradesh. The state government has planned to deploy approximately 190,000 personnel for Census operations, including enumerators, supervisors, and monitoring officers. Census 2027 to be conducted digitally According to the Centre’s communication, Census 2027 will be conducted entirely through digital means in two phases, with a provision for self-enumeration. In snow-bound regions such as Ladakh, Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the process will be completed by September 2026. Appointments and Training underway The process of appointing Census officials at state, district, tehsil, and enumeration block levels has already begun in most states and Union Territories. Training sessions for these officials are also underway at various locations. Officials will carry out their duties under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and Census Rules, 1990. MP Yet to Issue Formal Orders The Union Home Secretary has clearly stated that officials assigned to Census duties should not be transferred until March 31, 2027, to ensure smooth execution. Despite this, Madhya Pradesh’s Home Department, which is the nodal agency for Census work in the state, has not yet issued formal instructions to departments. Currently, transfers are largely on hold due to an existing state-level ban. Senior officials likely to be affected The directive may impact proposed administrative reshuffles involving divisional commissioners, district collectors, municipal commissioners, additional collectors, and sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs). These officials play a crucial role in monitoring Census operations, including house listing and population counting, which are executed through enumerators and supervisors. Self-enumeration to begin from April 16 As per the Census Directorate’s schedule, self-enumeration in Madhya Pradesh is set to begin from April 16. Out of the 1.9 lakh personnel to be deployed, around 1.6 lakh will work directly as enumerators and supervisors, while the remaining will serve in reserve and monitoring roles. Training programs for officials assigned to Census duties are scheduled to begin next week.