ISLAMABAD: Census Monitoring Committee (CMC) advised the Finance Division for the immediate release of the remaining census funds required to be paid to various stakeholders and service providers as well as field staff.

The CMC advised the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to conduct Post Enumeration Survey as per approval of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to validate the provisional data of first-ever digital census.

The CMC met with Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal in the chair at P-Block Pak Secretariat on Wednesday to review the progress of the first-ever Digital Population and Housing Census for which the field operation has been completed except for three districts of Kohistan and some snowbound areas.

The CMC accorded approval for field operation for the digital population census in three districts of Kohistan and remaining snowbound areas from 1st to 15th July 2023. The CMC directed NADRA to ensure necessary arrangements for retrieval of tablets and allied matters as per SOPs to complete the process from 9th to 12th June 2023 at 495 Census Support Center (CSC)

The CMC also directed that all Census District Officers will provide the completion certificate and payments to the census field staff will be made by DCs/ACs after the provision of the completion certificate

It has been decided in the CMC meeting that Post Enumeration Survey (PES) for the digital population census will be conducted in the light of the CCI decision to assess the extent of over and under reporting, if any, as well as for validating the provisional data of first-ever digital Census. The PBS will work out the modalities for the conduct of PES and will prepare a comprehensive plan and strategy for consideration and approval of CMC.

The CMC also advised the Finance Division for the immediate release of the remaining census funds required to be paid to various stakeholders and service providers as well as field staff.

It has also been decided by the CMC that the NADRA will ensure necessary arrangements for the retrieval of tablets and allied matters as per SOPs to complete the process during 9th to 12th June 2023 at 495 Census Support Centre (CSC). All the Census District Officers will ensure safe and secure storage of tablets at CSC till its dispatch to PBS HQ.

It is pertinent to mention that all the DCs/ACs being Census District Officer will provide duly filled and signed completion certificate on the prescribed format at the earliest. The payment to the field staff for census work will be made after the provision of completion certificate by respective DC/AC as per decision of the Census Monitoring Committee.

It is pertinent to mention that census field operation in heavily snow-bound areas comprising 129 blocks of AJK, 80 blocks of GB, and 16 blocks of (Mansehra) KP and three districts of Kohistan will be conducted during 1st to 15th July 2023.

Syed AminuI Haque, Minister for IT&T applauded the efforts made by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and the Minister for PD&SI for the successful conduct of field operation of first-ever digital census and congratulate on the accomplishment of the gigantic task.

The PBS expresses profound gratitude for the citizens of Pakistan who actively participated in the census to accomplish their moral and legal obligations. The digital census will provide an opportunity for the government to develop evidence-based policy planning for ensuring our rights and better service delivery at our doorstep that will lead to a prosperous nation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

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