ISLAMABAD: The Council of Common Interests (CCI), under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and comprising federal ministers as well as four chief ministers, is all set to accord approval to provisional summary results of the 6th Population and Housing Census 2017 on Friday (today).

“We have implemented agreed methodology for conducting the 6th population Census and its provisional summary results will be shared with the CCI today (Friday),” top official sources confirmed to The News here on Thursday. After getting approval of the CCI, the provisional summary results of the 6th Population Census will be shared with the public through the media.

The population is expected to go up from 180 million to around 210 to 220 million through this census, but exact figures will be known only after the approval of the CCI. Minister for Statistics Kamran Michael, who was sworn into the cabinet led by PM Shahid Khakan Abbasi, has visited the Statistics Division after taking oath because there was no office allocated in the building of the Statistics Division.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) high-ups told The News on Thursday that on the Supreme Court’s decision of 7th December, 2016, and on the direction of the CCI dated 16th December, 2016, the field operation of the Population and Housing Census-2017 was started on 15th March, 2017 and completed on May 20th throughout the country. Whereas the field operation of Population and Housing Census in the snow bound areas has been carried out in the month of July, 2017.

During Census-2017, a total of 200,000 army personnel were deployed on census duty out of which 44,000 army personnel were deployed for field operation along with civilian enumerators, including 5% reserve staff, while the remaining personnel were used for provision of security to the field staff and parallel command structure as well as for provision of logistic support.

Similarly, 120,000 civil staff was deployed as enumerators, circle supervisor and charge superintendents for conducting the census operation. During the field operation, many blocks with large number of households were identified. In order to enumerate the large size blocks, reserve staffs as well along with census material and vehicle were deployed expeditiously.

In order to conduct the 6th Population and Housing Census, a budget of Rs18.5 billion had been released to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, out of which Rs6 billion were forwarded to Army authorities, Rs6.5 billion were forwarded to the district management for hiring vehicles for the transportations of army and civilian enumerators and Rs6.0 billion were utilised for payment of training charges, remuneration charges to the 120.000 civilian staff deployed as enumerate, supervisor and charge superintendent and for other miscellaneous expenditures. The cost of hiring vehicles as well remuneration charges had already been transferred to the district administration. Payment to the field staff is almost complete.