PEOPLE across Punjab suffer on account of a high inflation rate, corruption, and a wide disparity between the poor and the rich. According to a survey report, the poverty rate in southern Punjab is higher than that in central and northern Punjab.

The Punjab government launched the Punjab Socio‑Economic Registry (PSER) survey to understand the socioeconomic conditions of the people so that appropriate steps could be taken to benefit those who are the most vulnerable and living below the poverty line. For this purpose, 22,000 field staff are actively conducting the door‑to‑door survey. Teachers have also been deployed as enumerators, alongside other staff, to ensure transparency, accuracy and effective targeting.

As such, people often hesitate to provide information because the survey adver-tisement was not publicised adequately. They respond only considering that a government teacher is asking for necessary details. Additionally, many fear that levies may be imposed, leading them to withhold accurate information about their assets, which undermines transparency.

It is vital to inform the public that this survey is useful, and that the data would be used for the welfare of Punjab through various schemes, including income‑support programmes, health insurance, scholar-ships and skill‑development initiatives. The PSER enables a one‑window social protection system that instantly checks eligibility for multiple programmes.

While the data collected by teachers is generally trustworthy, it ultimately depends on the accuracy of the information provided by the families. To ensure transparency, the data should be cross‑ checked with various government agencies.

Muhammad Iqbal Awan
Mianwali

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2026