PESHAWAR, Oct 17: The Population Census Organization of the Federal Ministry of Population has started village mapping in the NWFP as a part of preparations for the upcoming country-wide census.

The federal government has planned to conduct census in the year 2,008.

Officials told Dawn that village mapping had recently been completed in Mardan and Swabi districts and eight teams had been sent to Malakand region. They added that the mapping process in the Malakand region was likely to be completed by the end of December.

The organization has already completed mapping in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera. Hazara region will be covered by April 2006.

In the last phase, southern districts of the province will be covered. The Population Census Organization will also cover the adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Officials said that after completion of village mapping, the organization would launch a delimitation campaign in the province.

Sources said that the organization was understaffed and required more manpower and resources to complete the task in the province by the end of 2,006.

The last census was conducted in 1998, according to which the country’s population was 130.580 million.