CHATTOGRAM, Jan 23, 2020 (BSS) – Planning Minister MA Mannan today expressed his strong resolve to successfully complete the sixth Housing and Population Census of the country billed for January next year.
“We want to complete the next census flawlessly. No matter the result comes, we want to project the right information before the common people. Because, the people have the right to know,” he said.
The planning minister was addressing a view-exchange meeting on the next Housing and Population Census held at the circuit house hall room here today.
Chaired by Additional Divisional Commissioner Shankar Ranjan Saha, Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Saurendra Nath Chakrabhartty, BBS Director General Mohammad Tajul Islam, project director of the population census Zahidul Hoque Sarder, Additional Divisional Commissioner (development) M Nurul Alam Nizami, acting Deputy Commissioner Yeasmin Parvin spoke, among others, on the occasion.
Referring to the recent comments of the development partners that the data of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has almost reached into international standards, Mannan sought all-out support and cooperation from all to further improve the operations of the BBS.
He said that the various international organizations and development partners like the World Bank, the United Nations and the IMF use the statistics and data of BBS. “Our BBS is now world class as the international agencies have acknowledged that the BBS has already advanced a lot.”
Turning to the Rohingya issue, the Planning Minister said the forcibly displaced Rohingyas took shelter in Cox’s Bazaar and everyone should extend support to them as per the existing rules and regulations of the country.
Statics and Informatics Division Secretary Saurendra Nath Chakrabhartty said that all would have to remain cautious about the Rohingyas during the census. “All enumerators in the next census will have to have HSC certificates as well as will have to be at home in operating mobile apps.”
The week-long sixth population and housing census would take place in the country from January 2-8, next year (2021) to find out demographic and socio-economic facts which will be used for the next path of development planning.
The operations of the next population census will be held under the project titled ‘Population and Housing Census 2021’ which was approved by the ECNEC on October 29, 2019 with a cost of Taka 1,761.79 crore to be implemented by the BBS.
The next census would be different from the previous censuses as it will include for the first time expatriate Bangladeshis as well as foreigners staying in Bangladesh.
Besides, unique household IDs will be provided for the first time while data will be collected for the first time through multimode like mobile apps, web apps, pick and drop, paper-based, call centers and thus an e-census will be operated in limited scale.
The countdown of the census will begin on March 17, 2020 marking the centenary birth celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The next population census in 2021 will portray detailed demographic and socio-economic scenario in different segments of sex ratio, youths, adolescents, children, annual growth in population, general fertility rates, birth and death rates, literacy, income or economic participation, working and unemployed population and healthcare and nutrition statuses.
After holding the main census from January 2-8, the project implementing agency BBS will publish the preliminary results on March 31, 2021 while the administrative report will be published by June 2024.
The previous five population and housing censuses were held in the country in 1974, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011 respectively.