On October 16, the Centre amended the Census Rules, 1990 to expressly provide that teachers of government, local authority, aided as well as unaided private educational institutions may be appointed as Census enumerators. It similarly included officials of establishments such as banks, companies, institutions, societies and trusts.

But the amendment also retains a much wider category: “any person” whom a state government or Union Territory administration considers suitable to perform the duties of an enumerator.

Interestingly, this is not very different from what the rules said before the amendment. The earlier rules already said an enumerator could be chosen from among “Teachers, Clerks or any official or any person”.…