ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal directed Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to send a fresh summary to the Council of Common Interest and Prime Minister Office with a fresh timeline over the 7th Digital Census 2022.
The Minister made these directions while chairing a meeting to review progress on the 7th Digital Census 2022. The meeting was attended by the Secretary Planning Commission, Chief PBS, Chairman National Database & Registration Authority NDRA and other officials.
During the meeting, the Minister was apprised about the so far progress on the Census, PBS chief informed the Minister that earlier summary was submitted after agreement with NADRA for conduct of Census w.e.f 15th October 2022 to 15th November 2022.
However, due to delay in opening of Letter of credit due to prevailing economic situation, NADRA unable to provide tablets and informed that complete 126000 tablets will be handed over in installments by December 2022 and census ERP(complete software solutions) by 15th October 2022 for testing.
Keeping in view the sensitivity of matter, PBS adjusted the training of Master trainers and Training of trainers at divisional level in month of November and December 2022.
However, as training at tehsil level for 120000 field staff and field work cannot be initiated before the complete handover of tablets therefore after all considerations and running activities in parallel, the timelines has been revised and now the field work will be conducted w.e.f 1st February 2023 to 4th March 2023 and results after conduct of post enumeration survey will be handed over to ECP by 30th April 2023 for delimitation purposes.
However, the Minister expressed concerns over the extension of the deadline and asked the PBS to urgently intimate the CCI and PM Office due to sensitivity of matter.
He also emphasized that the further delay cannot be acceptable as the next elections will be based on this Census.
The Minister also directed PBS to ensure the quality of the training at Tehsil level. He advised to include HEC and academia to monitor the training at Tehsils level as quality training is essential for credible and reliable data. He was of view the assessment should be done by independent third body.
The PBS chief further informed the Minister that so far NADRA has handed over 22,000 tables for the census which have been hardened and now ready to dispatch and the remaining will be handed over soon. He apprised test 21600 more tablets will reach PBS today and will be in hardening process soon.
It was further informed that training of Master trainers will be started from November 28 to December 10, 2022, Self-enumerator will be started from January 15 2023. The Minister directed to expedite the process and strictly adhere to the revised timelines, keeping in view the sensitivity of matter.
