ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has constituted a five-member committee headed by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan to review the census process, data collection, and field operation methodologies used for the Census 2017.
The Committee is also with the objective that the next census is not only accurate but also inspires confidence among all the stakeholders that it is a true reflection of population in all regions of the country.
The committee includes, Muhammad Ahmed Zubair, chief economist, Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, member (Support Services) PBS, Dr GM Arif, renowned demographer/independent researcher, Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin, renowned demographer/independent researcher and representative of the NADRA.
The committee has the mandate to review the census process, data collection and field operation methodologies used for Census 2017, and recommend the modern methodologies being adopted for censuses in the region and globe for conduct of upcoming census, to compare the regional/globally-adopted census questionnaires and proposals for improvement, to review mode of data collection (manual/electronic) for provision of timely and credible results and recommendation for adoption of innovative tools and technologies for geo-referred enumeration up to the household level for the upcoming census, to review the best practices of field operations including monitoring/supervision and data processing to minimise the omissions/errors and complete coverage and to devise strategy for confidence building measures of all stakeholders for smooth completion of census operations and for increasing reliability and credibility of census results.
Sixth Population and Housing Census 2017 was conducted w.e.f. March 15 to May 25, 2017, and provisional results were released in August 2017 with the approval of the CCI.
Cabinet in its meeting held on 11th February 2020 constituted five members’ committee to deliberate and make recommendations for approval of final results of Census 2017.
The committee after deliberations has submitted it recommendations to the cabinet.
The cabinet has forwarded recommendations to the CCI for a final decision.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020