ISLAMABAD: On Monday, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) urged the government to nullify the decision regarding independent verification of results of the 6th Population Census however the government refused to do so under political pressure.
During a meeting of the PBS Governing Council, headed by Minister for Planning and Development Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, this proposal was made.
Owing to technical hitches and huge financial cost of nearly Rs8 billion for verifying only 5% of the results of the 6th Population Census, the PBS made this recommendation.
According to a PBS official, the demographics had considerably changed since the first census was undertaken and therefore, the process of sample verification was not feasible.
However, Bakhtiar refrained from making any decision; he asked the PBS to present a report. He further added that he would consult the federal cabinet on the matter.
Upon the Sindh province’s claim that its population was under-counted by 10 million, the last PML-N government had decided to verify 5% results of the census. Subsequently, an agreement was reached between the then government and opposition parties to carry out a third party verification of the results.
Later, the previous government suspended the process of independent verification due to differences between the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and the Senate over the modalities of the exercise.
Due to a dispute over third-party verification, the CCI has not yet approved the final results. According to the provisional population census, the country’s total population was 207.684 million as of 2017. The general election, 2018 was based on the provisional count too.
The inflation figure of 9.4% given by PBS for March was refuted by the government
According to a statement by the Planning Ministry post meeting, the Governing Council approved the proposal of rebasing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from fiscal year 2007-8 to 2015-16.
The rebasing was long overdue and the exercise was completed in December 2017 and a technical committee had cleared it for presentation in the council, added the the ministry.
The decision would be fully employed from July this year but from next month, the PBS would give two parallel inflation figures, one based on 2008 basing and the other one on the basis of 2015-16 prices.
The inflation figure of 9.4% that the PBS had announced for the month of March, was refuted by the government. Subsequently, a committee under an economist Dr Asad Zamaan is set up to review the methodology employed to calculate inflation.
The PBS was placed under the Planning and Development Division after the government abolished the Statistics Division.
The Planning Ministry said that under the new base, the PBS would compile Urban Consumer Price Index (UCPI), Rural Consumer Price Index (RCPI) and National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) on a monthly basis. Erstwhile, PBS only compiled UCPI to determine inflation in the country.
“There is a need for authentic data collection for better policy and decision making,” said Bakhtiar, urging the PBS to devise a mechanism to deliver more reliable official figures relating to the economy, population, agriculture, trade, and other areas.
The minister stressed the need to ensure the real impact of gas and electricity, and essential food items for consumers falling in different categories.
It was brought to his attention that the poorest sections of the society were not affected due to surge in gas and electricity costs because of the protective measures of the government.
Further it was noted that the 5th meeting of the Governing Council of the PBS had decided to rebase the National Accounts Committee and Price Statistics after every 10 years.
Consequently, a technical committee under the chairmanship of former PIDE vice-chancellor Dr Asad Zaman was constituted, which recommended changing the base. The new base will be published after the approval by the ECC.
Bakhtiar also directed the authorities to accelerate the process to ensure smooth functioning of the PBS.
Further it was settled that the PBS would conduct the Pakistan Demographic Survey periodically and try to resolve the issue by collaborating with NADRA and local governments. The importance of the PBS for noting the demographic changes of the country is undeniable.