Teachers seek census delay amid severe heatwave

Jaipur: With severe heatwave conditions sweeping Rajasthan, teachers’ organisations have urged the Centre to postpone ongoing census-related work, citing health risks faced by educators deployed for field duties in extreme temperatures.

The Teacher Federation of India, Sunday, wrote, to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, seeking a deferment of census operations until weather conditions improve. The federation said temperatures across Rajasthan are consistently above 40°C, making fieldwork difficult and potentially hazardous.

According to the federation, teachers engaged in census duties are vulnerable to heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses. It claimed to have received complaints from educators across the country reporting health problems while carrying out census assignments.

Vipin Prakash Sharma, national vice-president of the Teacher Federation of India, said teachers constitute more than 90% of the workforce involved in census operations and should not be exposed to avoidable health risks.

“With due regard for their health and in view of the prevailing extreme heatwaves, it would be appropriate to postpone the census work. Such a measure would ensure that the health and well-being of the personnel carrying out this task are not compromised due to negligence. The situation in Rajasthan is becoming particularly dire, with temperatures in every district of the state exceeding 47°C,” Sharma said.

He added that many personnel are struggling to perform field duties and have reported ailments such as dehydration, fever, skin allergies and other heat-related problems.

The federation has also submitted its demands to the Director of Census Operations, Rajasthan, seeking the issuance of special Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for field staff and an extension of deadlines for completing census work.

Ranjeet Meena, state president of Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh (Ekikrit), said adequate health safeguards should be provided to enumerators and supervisors working in the field.

“Given the severe heat and high temperatures prevailing in the state, a medical team should be deployed to safeguard the health of the enumerators and supervisors; at the very least, basic medicines related to primary healthcare and ORS packets should be made available to them,” he said.