ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi Tuesday appreciated Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) initiative of developing its electronic data collection system and expressed the hope that it would auger well towards enhancing the credibility of price statistics and reducing the time tag.

The president expressed these views during a presentation given by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Tablet (Android) Based-Price Data Collection System at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, says a press release.

The president said the interactive report making process would enable the policy makers to take timely decisions on the basis of real market prices prevailing in the country.

He highlighted that data driven decision-making plays a vital role in achievement of long-term goals. The credibility of data provided the basis for unbiased and effective governance, he added.

The secretary Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform briefed the president about the salient features of the Tablet Based Price Collection System (TPCS), which was recently developed by PBS for collection of price statistics in the country.

TPCS would improve the data credibility and minimize human interaction, besides real-time monitoring and location tracking of the price enumerators deployed in the field, he explained.

He said the in-house developed software (TPCS) with features of real-time location tracking of enumerators through geo-coordinates, recording survey time and online connectivity with headquarter would go a long way in maintaining a credible data base in the country.

The PBS is responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of reliable and timely statistical information to the policy makers, planners and researchers. PBS is mandated to collect and publish the data of price statistics for Consumer Price Index (CPI), Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), Wholesale Price Index (WPI), and Rural Price Index ((RPI).