Daily Times

“If you’re a scientist, and you have to have an answer, even in the absence of data, you’re not going to be a good scientist.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson (American astrophysicist)

The most organised households first make a note of their members, their categories and needs after which income and expenditure are evaluated for balancing the books. This enables them to sensibly chalk out their life ensuring comfort, certainty, a steady flow of funds and effective management during any unexpected contingency. Those that fail to assess their typical conditions usually end up confronting different crises, depletion of material resources and financial ones usually topping the list.

On a smaller scale, this type of an analysis is fairly simple and manageable yet there are many households that suffer from low income(s) or who have individuals with special needs for whom it is difficult to cater. There are many who live below the official poverty line and survive on a day-to-day basis. In a nutshell, this means that each household is unique in terms of its composition, needs, income etc.

In the event of the present coronavirus affliction, the government seems totally directionless as how to reach out to the truly needy segments of the population. In addition to handling health issues there is no clarity regarding the number of persons working on daily wages who are the main focus of concern for the government in these extraordinary circumstances. There is no mechanism to deliver essential supplies to ones living in areas that are remote. It would be interesting to see if there are any details with respect to households comprising, on an average, eight family members living in one-room houses.

In the absence of this vital information, how would it be possible to execute a welfare scheme so that the ones meriting aid can be distinguished from free riders? The Ehsaas programme is attempting to filter out the better-offs and compiling a list of the impoverished.

The history of census in Pakistan dates back to 1951. Since then, the population count has been made in 1961, 1972, 1981,1998, and 2017. The quality of these censuses can be gauged from the fact that whenever a crisis hits the country there is dearth of reliable data on the basis of which relief measures can be designed. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, established in 1950, is responsible for, in addition to many other things, collecting, compiling, analysing and publishing statistical data relating to various economic and social sectors, using the population census as one of its primary sources. It is also duty-bound to supply governmental departments with veritable figures.

Under the Constitution of Pakistan, census is a subject contained in Part II of the Federal Legislative List requiring discussion under Council of Common Interests (CCI) as required under Article 154(1). A consultative process is essential for formulating and regulating policies in respect of census by the CCI. Had it been done through a proper constitutional process national reliable data could have been collated with authenticity.

Importance of the evaluation of population data through a demographic analysis cannot be denied as these are vital indicators of birth, death, migration, age, sex, marital status, religion, literacy, occupation etc. According to the United Nations (1998), Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1: “Information on the size, distribution and characteristics of a country’s population is essential for describing and assessing its economic, social and demographic circumstances and for developing sound policies and programmes (in such fields as education and literacy, employment and manpower, family planning, housing, maternal and child health, rural development, transportation and highway planning, urbanisation and welfare) aimed at fostering the welfare of a country and its population.”

These analyses are pivotal in countries where there is a lack of independent registration facilities and sample surveys. Remarkably, Pakistan does not fall in this category. In 1998, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) was launched to meticulously gather information of every person living in Pakistan along with family backgrounds, household make-up and addresses. In the last two decades, NADRA has emerged as one of the most technically advanced departments of government, yet its efforts appear meaningless in the event of a national episode. Compared to NADRA, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has a better data base of 165 million cellular subscribers as on 31 December 2019.

The world is experiencing, first-hand, the significance of life and health over wealth and power

From multiple statistical departments found in Pakistan, one thing can be averred: there is abundance of information but a dearth of management. Too many cooks spoil the broth fits our situation where hundreds and thousands of people appear to be working but not much is really achieved, and little work is actually done. In critical times, government behaves as if it is groping in the dark, resolving to make plans for determining basic information to carry out relief work. Definitely amazing!

Just when the government is fully inclined to provide billions of rupees of cash and/or rations and loans to millions of daily wagers and those living in abject poverty, it is facing difficulty in touching base with them. Why? That is principally because the policies of the successive governments have hardly been pro-people; otherwise, it would not be an impossibility to trace identities of labourers, daily wage earners, industrial workers, and domestic help, among others. All the while we have been obsessed with appeasing traders, benefitting the privileged, providing concessions to the rich and the mighty, watching their interests, and encouraging a monarchical elitist structure, but never showed much interest in the welfare of the majority, of the less privileged. It is during these critical moments that the importance of establishing a welfare state becomes more obvious, rather, inevitable.

The world is experiencing, first-hand, the significance of life and health over wealth and power. Before anything, human life takes priority. Beautiful cities lay desolate with bustling localities turned into ghost towns, but lessons remain unlearnt. During better times we never brace ourselves to confront unexpected circumstances, and once they befall upon us, we are gripped in a state of panic. Our governments also pass through similar situations. Homework is never complete, and those at the helm of affairs fail to do their own bit timely, honestly or efficiently. At the end of the day, each one looks at the other blankly with no clue as to any appropriate solution.

Even after six censuses and a seventh one due in 2027, governments do not have any plausible data base to manage a difficult state of affairs. From the available statistics of thirty-seven million households, a rough estimate of the needy twelve million having an average of seven members each has been made. This is good enough. The main issue with the government is the way forward. The suggested methods are through the use of android phones (the lowest price is around Rs 15,000) and short message service, and a Tiger Force of youngsters willing to risk their lives to supply essentials.

In a country where successive governments have failed to provide its citizens with basic necessities, private telecommunication companies have successfully connected people of even those areas that are deprived of electricity. Perhaps, a more sensible approach would have been to utilise their data for reaching out to those in dire need.

The writer, a lawyer and an author, is an Adjunct Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences