Finance Minister Punjab Makhdum Hashim Jawan Bakhth has said that the government has a reliable and thorough set of data that can be used to inform the planning and development process of the province through coordinated efforts of Planning and Development Board, UNICEF and Bureau of Statistics. The Minister was addressing the launching ceremony of Survey Findings Report (SFR) of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Punjab 2017-18 on Thursday at local hotel.
He said that the government is sensitive to every rupee and every single penny of the public money will be utilized for desired results. He also hoped that academicians and researchers should use the MIC data to inform on what kind of development interventions were effective in the past and also identify areas where public money was misspent. He further added that MIC findings have highlighted severe regional disparities which the PTI government will bridge through its commitment to regional equalization and equal opportunities for all.
Speaking on the occasion, UNICEF representative Aida Girma said that the MICs Punjab reached more than 53,000 households and conducted interviews with 74,000 women, 27,000 men and 74,000 children across 36 districts in Punjab. Highest standard was ensured so that the findings were statistically sound and representative. She assured UNICEF's continued support to the government of Punjab in analysis of policy development such as calculation of the child wellbeing index.
Chairman P&D Board Habib ur Rehman Gillani on the occasion congratulated the Bureau of Statistics team and said that the Planning and Development Board is committed to human development agenda and the MICs data will be key to inform, facilitate and support our planning initiatives in these areas. The MICs is a global household survey which provides robust and credible evidence to be used for planning and policy making to track and improve overall social indicators particularly those affecting children and women. The SFR of MICS Punjab, 2017-18, will provide valuable data on many critical socio-economic indicators that will be useful for policy makers in Punjab to evaluate the current situation in these areas and to help them serve as a guideline for formulation of relevant interventions for the betterment of citizens of Punjab in future.
Introduced by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the 90s, the MICs has become the largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on women and children worldwide. The survey was conducted by the Bureau of Statistics, Planning and Development Board with technical support from UNICEF. Results of the survey were approved by a provincial steering committee and reviewed by the UNICEF headquarters, which makes it a reliable product with international recognition.
Comments
Comments are closed.