Pakistan’s first-ever digital population census is set to collect data from 185,000 blocks in March 2023 without the requirement of having computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs).
In the next population census exercise, information will be collected covering eight broad areas, including households, basic amenities, demography, education, health, employment, disability, and migration, using a 40-point questionnaire that covers eight important areas’ details.
According to Dr. Naeem Uz Zafar, chief statistician of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), this year’s census will be conducted digitally for the first time ever.
All the preparations are rolled out and the team is now ready for the gigantic task. “The effort is entirely indigenous; all the systems devised and the tools created are by our own experts,” he said.
He was addressing a seminar, themed “Census 2023: All You Want to Know About” at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Islamabad on Thursday. He said the census is an important national activity that is linked with resource allocation to provinces, representation in national/provincial assemblies, and the delimitation process. Therefore, the credibility of the census is of utmost importance. This is what called for comprehensive introspection leading to a solution acceptable to all that is the digital census.
He informed the audience that the 45th Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, which was held on April 12, 2021, approved the 2017 census results and then directed that the next census begin as soon as possible, adopt international best practices, and utilize cutting-edge technology.
In order to improve credibility, and wider acceptance of the census processes and results, the Government of Pakistan then established a committee formed of prominent demographers and specialists with thorough TORS. In order for the stakeholders to own the process, a board-based stakeholder engagement was conducted.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Dr Nadeem ul Haque, vice chancellor, of PIDE, said that censuses remain controversial in Pakistan, at times delayed for over a decade. Now that we are moving toward the new census, it is time to raise all the concerns and questions we have, he said.
“The PBS has estimated that there will be a total funding requirement of Rs34 billion for holding census exercise out of which Rs10 billion have been provided to PBS while they have requested the Finance Ministry to release the remaining amount of Rs24 billion,” said top official sources.
According to sources, a self-enumeration option will be made available for the first time. The exercise will be completed using household geotagging. From 185,000 blocks around the nation, 126,000 enumerators will be gathering data.
In addition to police officers accompanying the enumerators to offer security in the initial stage, army men will guarantee impenetrable protection for the 90,000 enumerators. After that, the army will send out its Quick Response Force to oversee general security and supervision of the entire census exercise across the country.
Each enumerator will be expected to gather information from two blocks within the month of March 2023. The PBS and the DGMO have already discussed security matters, and the army has shown its willingness to make personnel substitutions.
Everyone who has resided in the same place for the previous six months and has the plan to remain there for the upcoming six months will be counted in the population on a de jure basis.
