After lying in limbo for almost seven years, it looks like the census exercise is finally moving again.The government’s announcement that the census will be held by March 2016 is a welcome development, and going by the work that is being assigned and the funds that have been allocated for the demographic exercise, it does seem as if a credible effort is finally getting under way.The announcement of a date, as well as a budget and the National Census Apex Committee add some credibility to the venture. But at this early point, it is important to bear in mind that the delays have been caused because of powerful factors that are all too likely to challenge the execution of the census from an early stage. Despite announcing the census in March this year, allowing a year for the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to prepare for the difficult exercise, the government has yet to release any funds for the year-long exercise. According to report, finance ministry sources appear to have confirmed that the federal government has been debating whether to scrap the census altogether. The idea appears to be to use population data from the Nadra database for future planning and resource distribution, instead of conducting the complex process of conducting a thorough census. There are many problems with working with the Nadra database. A large number of people still don’t have their national identity cards, there is limited data on children and almost no data on people’s income and expenditures. The existing database can give a limited understanding of population expansion, where it is concentrated and how its income patterns are distributed. The only semi-reliable mechanism for obtaining this data is to conduct a full-scale census.With the last census at least two decades old, much needs to be updated in the data reservoirs of the state. The latest news that the government may be considering scrapping the census exercise altogether does not bode well as planning requires accurate databases. The census had a budget allocation of around Rs14.5 billion with over half of the amount to be spent on security. The PBS has budgeted for around Rs646 million in spending, however, the money has not been provided. The problem is with the government’s own commitment to the exercise, and the idea of using the alternate database possessed by Nadra. The database is usually kept secret and not shared with planners, researchers, and academics for good reason so it is strange that the government is looking to use it for planning purposes. Government sources claim that a census is not a priority when the country is faced with a spiraling budget deficit. With a census every ten years being mandatory in the constitution, we are already seven years over the constitutional limit.
pk.shafaqna.com
