Kolkata, May 26 (PTI) The West Bengal government has appointed Census Officers for the proposed Census of India 2027, an official said on Tuesday.
According to the notification issued by the Home and Hill Affairs department, Divisional Commissioners have been designated as Divisional Census Officers, District Magistrates as Principal Census Officers, and Additional District Magistrates as District Census Officers for their respective jurisdictions.
District Planning Officers, District Statistical Officers, District Informatics Officers and District Education Officers, among others, have been appointed as Additional District Census Officers.
Sub-Divisional Officers and Sub-Divisional Magistrates will function as Sub-Divisional Census Officers, while Block Development Officers have been designated as Charge Census Officers.
The state government has also appointed civic body officials for urban census operations. Municipal commissioners of municipal corporations have been designated as Principal Census Officers, while executive officers, administrators and secretaries of municipalities and statutory towns will serve as Town Census Officers.
The notifications said the officers would “take, or aid in or supervise the taking of, the Census of India, 2027,” within their respective jurisdictions.
Powers to the appointed officers to further appoint Census Officers within their areas were also delegated, the notification stated.
The order warned that any Census Officer or person assigned census-related duties who refuses to perform assigned work, or obstructs others from discharging such duties, would be liable for punishment under Section 11 of the Census Act, 1948.
The provision allows for a fine of up to Rs 1,000 and imprisonment extending up to three years upon conviction.
A senior state government official said the appointments were part of preparatory administrative measures for the nationwide census exercise scheduled in 2027.
The appointments were made under provisions of the Census Act, 1948, and published in the Kolkata Gazette Extraordinary on May 18. PTI SCH RG
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