The sixth housing and population census is to start on March 15 and will continue until May 25 and a budget of Rs 18.5 billion has been allocated for it. Addressing a joint news conference here on Sunday along with Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor and Chief Census Commissioner Asif Bajwa, Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said that census will be conducted in two phases and completed on May 25 this year.
The first phase of the census will start from Wednesday and conclude on April 15 and after a 10 day gap the second phase will start from April 25 and conclude on May 25, she said.
The minister said that of the total budget allocated for the census Rs6 billion has been contributed by the army, Rs 6.5 billion has been set aside for transportation and Rs6 billion has been allotted to the civilian budget.
She said that 1, 18,918 enumerators will perform duty during the census assisted by personnel of Pakistan army.
All the enumerators are government employees and have been fully trained, she said, adding that during the door-to-door house listing and population count the profiling of the transgender and disable persons will be included.
She said the provincial results of the census will be published after May 25 while regular reports will be issued at the provincial, district and national levels with a summary of demographics as well as a visual representation published before the final results are released. Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor said that 200,000 personnel of Pakistan Army will assist the census process in approximately 168,000 blocks.
He said that one solider will be deputed with each enumerator to ensure smooth and transparent counting and for provision of security as the army is committed to providing fool-proof security during the drive.
He said army personnel will have direct link with National Database and Registration Authority to verify the data.
The Information Minister said that a comprehensive awareness campaign has also been launched to educate the masses about the importance and procedure of the census.
She said that that Geographic Information System technology will be used during the demographic profiling.
The minister said that a fine of Rs50,000 and six months imprisonment would be handed to those who wilfully misrepresented facts or provided incorrect data.
The government is also set to undertake a mass communication and awareness campaign on a national level, she said, adding that citizens who wish to report any discrepancies are encouraged to call a helpline 0800-57574.
"Take the soldier who comes to your door for the census as a thank you from the Army for your devotion, and please cooperate with him," the DG ISPR said.