M. Sundaresh Babu to lead Census operations in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

The Hindu

17-06-2025

IAS officer M. Sundaresh Babu from 2012-batch Karnataka cadre would lead the Census operations in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. A communication by Government of India's Department of Personnel & Training was issued in this regard recently.
According to the communication, Mr. Babu has been named the Director of Census Operations / Director of Citizen Registration in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry upto December 31 this year or until further orders, whichever was earlier.
An informed source said the Director of Census Operations was expected to assume office next week. Once official communication was received from New Delhi, processes would commence, it said.
Once an official communication is received, the State government would re-notify the Census 2027 in the vernacular language after which training modules would be finalised. Teachers are expected to be involved in the enumeration process.
Initially, after necessary permission from the State government, house listing operations (HLO) would commence through which all structures in habitations, including residential and non-residential such as hospitals, libraries and others would be listed for enumeration.
'About the house listing operations are completed, the population enumeration (PE) would commence after six months,' the source said. District Collectors may be notified as the Principal Census Officers.
There would be national census trainers, master census trainers and field census trainers, who would train those who would undertake enumeration, it said.
When asked about the preparations for Census 2027, official sources in the Tamil Nadu government said official communication was awaited from the Government of India in this regard.