Cabinet to discuss FBS autonomy bill

ISLAMABAD (APP) - The draft bill for making the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) an autonomous body would be presented before the cabinet for approval during its upcoming meeting, top official in the Bureau told APP.
The purpose of the bill is to restructure the organization with an aim to make it efficient and reliable world class data collecting authority of the country, FBS Secretary Tariq Shafiq Khan said.
He said that draft bill been finalized, he said adding that it envisages merger, FBS, Population Census Organization and Agriculture Census to make one authority or Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. This organization would have an autonomous status with seven members governing body, three members from the government side while four members would be included from the private sector to make the organization an independent and reliable data collecting body of the country, he added.
He said that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) would be headed by the Minister for Finance and the government body would be independent and autonomous in making the policies/decisions of the organization.
The head of the organization would be called as Chief Statisticians and would be appointed through international advertisement and purely on merit basis, he remarked.
The merger of three components of statistics division would also help reduce the recurring expanses of the organization and also produce quality manpower.
Replying to a question, he said that the decision regarding holding of the 6th National Housing and population Census would be taken by the end of this year, Tariq Shafiq Khan said.
He clarified that the decision of holding the 6th Population and Housing census has not been taken yet.
The holding of the census would be taken after the meeting of the Inter-provincial Coordination Committee by the end of this year.
However, he said that Population Census Organization of the Federal Bureau of Statistics has established about 403 Census Districts, comprising 146,000 blocks, all across the country to conduct 6th Population and Housing Census in the country during the current year.