7th Population and Housing Census-2022: PBS launches series of sensitisation workshops

KARACHI: Provinces are important stakeholders in census process and are directly involved in data collection, execution, and monitoring of the entire activity. Therefore, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has initiated a series of sensitisation workshops with chief secretaries, relevant secretaries, and functionaries at provincial levels. This exercise will bring more clarity and ownership of provinces in the process of the census.

For taking stakeholders on board, at first stage consultative meetings with provinces were conducted and at second stage sensitisation workshops with academia, data users and researchers were carried out. Now, third stage sensitisation workshops of the series with the provinces, in connection with the forthcoming 7th Population and Housing Census-2022, (the first-ever digital census in Pakistan) are in progress. Second workshop in this connection was organised by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics at Regent Plaza, Karachi.

The workshop featured the sensitisation of the divisional and district administration of Sindh, as it symbolises the critical synergetic relationship that will exist between PBS and provincial, divisional and district administration throughout the gigantic national activity.

This workshop aimed to inform participants about achieved targets and future strategies, plans, methods, and tools for successful completion of the census. On behalf of Chief Secretary Sindh, Shariq Ahmed, Secretary Implementation & Coordination (SGA&CD), Sindh was the Honorable Guest.

Najam Ahmed Shah, Secretary Local Government was also present on the occasion. Other representatives from Board of Revenue, secretary Population Welfare, secretary Education & Literacy department and all commissioners and deputy commissioners of the Sindh attended the workshop.

Dr Naeemuz Zafar, Chief Statistician, Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, Member (Support Services/Resource Management), Munwar Ali Ghanghro Director (Incharge) PBS Provincial office, Karachi and senior officers from PBS Islamabad and Karachi jointly hosted the event.

Dr Naeem-uz-Zafar, Chief Statistician, PBS welcomed all the distinguished guests and briefly told them the background and importance of census process. He informed that census is an important national activity that is linked with resource allocation to provinces, representation in National/Provincial assemblies and delimitation process. Therefore, it is need of the day to take provinces on board and address their grievances before conduct of census.

He further informed that PBS is planning for census as per decision of Council of Common Interest (CCI) and the recommendations of Census Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of renowned demographer and experts from all provinces. CAC advised the involvement of provinces at earlier stage which will be helpful in resolving challenges faced in previous census well before time.

Then, Shariq Ahmed, Secretary, I&C (SGA&CD), Sindh, in his inaugural address, shed light on the value of census and population data in evidence-based decision making and appreciated the working of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics towards the initiation of the first-ever digital census in Pakistan. He also emphasised the cooperation of the commissioners and deputy commissioners for the successful conduct of the census operation in line with the instructions of the federal government and PBS.

After that, Syed Najam Ahmed Shah, Secretary Local Government department, Sindh presented his views about the importance of census and its role in efficient planning and good governance. While he assured to extend full co-operation of Divisional and District Administrations at each level so the administration will stand with PBS right from front in the whole process of census until its completion.

Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, in his presentation aware the participants of the recommendations of the Census Advisory Committee for the conduct of the 7th Population & Housing Census-2022.

Moreover, he included that as per the decision of CCI, PBS is going to conduct Census after five years’ intervals, for the first time, with the use of the latest tools and technologies by adopting the best international practices with the high aim to fetch improved quality of data.

Geotagging of each structure, tablet-based and self-enumeration system will build the trust of stakeholders. He also added that a National Census Coordination Committee (N3C) has been developed at the national level in the House of PBS.

The development of the Provincial Census Coordination Committee (P3C) in the provinces is in process. He also shared that to monitor the process, standards, and protocols of the Census a Census Monitoring Committee has also been constituted. Census Support Centers in Census Districts have also been established in almost 90 percent of the tehsils of Sindh, for which he admired the efforts of the Secretary I&C (SGA&CD), Divisional and District Administrations. He also shared that a social media team is hired by the PBS to statistically literate the public about the sensitivity of the Census activities through awareness campaigns.

Chief Statistician, Dr Naeemuz Zafar, in his closing remarks thanked the Provincial, Divisional, and District Administrations for sparing valuable time and attending this workshop in person from all the corners of Sindh.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022