New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a one-year extension of the central deputation of T Mithra, a 2009-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, who is serving as Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR), Kerala, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Her deputation, which was scheduled to end on November 19, 2026, will now continue until November 19, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The extension also continues the upgradation of the post to the Joint Secretary level for the third year.
Mithra Has Led Kerala Census Operations Since 2019
Mithra has been serving as DCO/DCR, Kerala, since November 19, 2019. Her appointment was made under the Central Staffing Scheme. Her present post is Director of Census Operations/Director of Citizen Registrations, Kerala and Lakshadweep.
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Her role has become particularly significant with preparations for Census 2027. In Kerala, Mithra has been associated with the first phase of the census exercise, including the house-listing and housing census that began in July 2026.
The Kerala exercise included an optional self-enumeration facility before field enumeration. Around 61,282 enumerators and 10,189 supervisors were identified for the house-listing phase, according to reports quoting Mithra and state census officials.
From Kerala University Research Scholar to IAS Officer
Mithra’s journey to the civil services began with an academic career in English. Before joining the IAS, she was a Junior Research Fellow in English at Kerala University and had completed postgraduate studies in English literature.
She secured 10th rank in the Civil Services Examination and emerged as the Kerala topper in the examination announced in 2009. Contemporary reports noted that she had chosen English Literature and Public Administration as her optional subjects.
Her achievement came during a difficult period in her personal life. Her mother, B Seethalakshmi, had died months before the UPSC Main examination, while her father, S Thrivikraman Nair, a retired government Under Secretary, died shortly before the result. Mithra subsequently described her success as a tribute to her parents.
Earlier Kerala Posting Included ANERT and District Administration
Before going on central deputation, Mithra served in Kerala in state-level administrative roles. A Kerala government order from August 2016 records her as Director of the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) before she was repatriated to the parent cadre and posted as District Collector, Kollam.
Her earlier service included both administrative responsibilities within Kerala and subsequent work under the Central Staffing Scheme.
Extension Comes During Census 2027 Preparations
The latest extension will keep Mithra in the Kerala Census Operations and Citizen Registration role through November 19, 2027.
This covers the period in which the second phase of Census 2027 is scheduled to take place. The Population Enumeration phase is scheduled for February 2027, following the house-listing and housing phase conducted in 2026.
