By NNN-BSS,
Dhaka : Fifth Population and Housing Census begins at midnight tonight through a ceremonial function at Bangabhaban.
Officials familiar with the processes said over 70,000 maps,prepared through geographical information system (GIS) covering each ‘mouza’ in rural and urban areas would be used during the five-day census to be completed on March 19.
More than 20 thematic layers were used in the GIS maps prepared to identify legends of the mauzas that would cover 64 districts to reduce error and make sure that every person is counted accurately.
The census will start with the counting of President Zillur Rahman as the number one citizen of the country at Bangabhaban at a function at 12 midnight to be joined by Planning Minister Air Vice Marshall (retd) AK Khondokar along with the UNDP and UNFPA representatives.
To mark commence of the census as well as brining transparency and accuracy in the process, the planning minister himself will oversee the counting process of floating people at Kamalapur Railway station at 1am tonight.
Bangladesh is going to use first ever-digital enumeration map and computerized geo-coding system for holding census that would use to process the data in the shortest possible time and disseminate results simultaneously in hard and soft formats, as well as on the web page.
The digital maps would determine the appropriate enumeration area and database of geographic boundaries in digitized form showing enumeration areas using remote sensing data through ‘aerial photograph’.
The government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is giving emphasis to digital maps to carry out the census for accuracy that will ensure appropriate policy planning.
From now on digital maps would be used in every census and surveys as the database as the tools could correctly reflect the socio-economic status of the people.
Experts observed that this is one step forward in building the digital Bangladesh envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh carried out the first post independence population
census in 1972 and since then censuses were conducted on a
decennial basis, regularly.
As part of the election pledge of the present government, the Prime Minister is keen to establish a national population register and citizens’ database for everyone of the country.
Census is considered a vital mechanism for providing an adequate data set on the population at all levels of the administrative units as it provides the basis for sound and informed policy making.
The present government has taken a number of steps to strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) that includes the upcoming population and housing census.
Therefore, the Statistics Division has been geared up to produce and provide better data as everybody will have their photographs, fingerprints in digital format to promote digital Bangladesh by 2021 envisioned by Sheikh Hasina.
The census will be conducted in three phases.
The first will collect basic characteristics of all households and population of the country. In the second one– post enumeration quality check to determine the coverage and content error of the information. Thirdly a sample census to re examine the data to supplement the first one.
Quality data is essential to improving people’s lives. It would provide population size, growth, composition and distribution for the projection of food, education, infrastructure, employment, health care and assessment of various other basic requirements as well as analysis of past, present and future growth of population.