In urgent need of funds to purchase digital equipment for the census, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has been denied access to PKR 5 billion earmarked for that very purpose.
By Muhammad Ali
ISLAMABAD: The government’s plan to hold the next population and housing census at the turn of the year is in danger because of a clerical error and an entanglement with the red tape, Independent Pakistan can report.
The plan hit a snag this week when the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet deferred its approval for a transfer PKN 5 billion in funding earmarked for the exercise to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), taking the plea that the measure must first be greenlit by the Cabinet.
The government intends to complete the 7th Population and Housing Census around New Year 2023, well in time for the results to feed into fresh delimitation of National and Provincial Assembly constituencies ahead of the general election due after August 2023.
This will be the first digital census to be undertaken in Pakistan. However, this means the PBS has to acquire modern gadgetry including 126,000 tablet computers in time to train field staff in their use in time for the exercise scheduled to start in December. However, the finding meant for this exercise is parked in the wrong ministry.
The PBS used to be an attached department of the Ministry of Finance. The administration of former Prime Minister Imran Khan put it under the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives (PD&SI). However, by some quirk of fate, the funding meant for PBS in the current fiscal’s budget landed in the MoF instead of MoPD&SI.
The challenge facing the officialdom now is to repatriate those funds to the PBS in the MoPD&SI fast enough not to derail the census, scheduled to be completed in about two to three months. However, it seems the problem has no solution short of a quick nod from the federal cabinet.
The MoPD&IT has floated a request for the Ministry of Finance to surrender the PKR 5 billion purse to the PBS, but it did not meet approval on the grounds that only the federal cabinet can authorise such a measure.
In its 45th meeting, held on April 12, 2021, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) approved the final result of the 6th population and housing census, 2017. The CCI also decided that the process of the next census should start as early as possible according to international best practices by using the latest technology.
In compliance with the said decision of CCI, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) started preparatory work to conduct the first ever Digital Population and Housing Census. The Minister for PD&SI constituted a Census Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising renowned demographers and experts to devise recommendations for adoption of the international best practices including the use of the latest technology for the 7th Population & Housing Census.
The Committee held several meetings and finalised the recommendations for the conduct of 7th Population & Housing Census with transparency and wider acceptability. One of the main recommendations of the committee is to carry out the census digitally with real-time monitoring and geotagging of all structures at the block level.
The PBS says activities for conducting the 7th Population & Housing Census are in full swing, as part of which a pilot census was completed on August 3, 2022. Officials say the PBS has engaged all relevant organisations and agencies including NADRA, SUPARCO, NTC, MOIT, provincial and district administrations, and the armed forces to complete this colossal exercise of national importance.
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