ISLAMABAD: The federal government has released around Rs 10 billion for digital census in the country, bringing the total to Rs 20 billion.
This was confirmed by Member Support Services/ Resource Management, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, while talking to Business Recorder.
The census would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs34 billion, for which, Rs10 billion was already released, Gondal added.
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Sharing further details the PBS official said that government disbursed Rs4.14 billion to Punjab province, out of which Rs2257.823 million for training and remuneration and 1882.475 million for hiring of vehicles.
Further Rs 2.005 billion was disbursed to Sindh province, out of which Rs 1076.100 million in training and remuneration and 928.900 million in hiring of vehicles.
Gondal said that Rs783 million was released for Balochistan province, out of which Rs 352.605 million for training and remuneration charges and Rs 430.500 million for hiring of vehicles.
He further said that government released Rs 1.36 billion to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, out of which Rs716.636 million for training and remuneration charges and Rs 642.460 hiring of vehicles.
The government also disbursed Rs 250.424 million which includes Rs101.324 million training and remuneration and Rs 149.100million for hiring of vehicles.
Gondal said that government disbursed Rs 84.929 million to Gilgit Baltistan, out of which Rs33.689 million for training and remuneration and Rs51.240 for hiring of vehicles.
The government also disbursed Rs72.915 million for Islamabad, out of which Rs40.820 million for training and remuneration and Rs32.095 million for hiring of vehicles.
Around 86,000 army officers and personnel, besides police are providing security to the field enumerators.
The field operation would be completed in one month, while the results would be released on April 30, 2023 after completing data analysis, said Gondal.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023