As a part of the 7th digital census, the self-enumeration portal of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics received around four million entries from people over the past few days. This is the first time that the government has introduced this type of census to ensure credibility and transparency. A PBS representative, Sarwar Gondal, said that the response from people had been great. He said; “Pakistan is making history with the first-ever digital census and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics shares with great pride that the people are participating actively and stakeholders are appreciating and supporting the exercise.”
One-of-its-kind Digital Census in South Asia
During a press conference, Sarwat Gondal informed that this was the first of its kind digital census in South Asia. He said that the census is going very smoothly, however, some minor issues were reported as happens with every new technology and the concerns are communicated to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), which is taking care of the technology solutions.
In some provinces – particularly in Sindh and Baluchistan – there have been questions regarding the process of self-enumeration due to a lack of understanding. In answer to the above-mentioned concern, Gondal said that prior to the census extensive and intensive consultations were held at levels, especially with provincial stakeholders to explain the complete digital process.
A National Duty
The purpose of digitization of the process is to provide transparency, accountability, and efficiency to the enumeration process; the digital census is ought to provide credible and timely data for decision-making. “As per the General Statistics Reorganization Act 2011 and the UN Conventions, the census is a national duty to inform policymaking, future planning, and development for the progress of the country. Participation in the census is mandatory and providing reliable information is a civic duty for everyone living in Pakistan,” said Gondal.
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