LAHORE, April 19: The Agriculture Census Organization (ACO) is undertaking a countrywide village census to collect socio-economic data of 55,000 villages.

The village census, being started with the cooperation of provincial and district governments from May 2, is expected to be completed before end of this fiscal year on June 30.

“The census will provide the economic planners comprehensive and reliable information about physical infrastructure and basic amenities available to the country’s rural population required for future planning as well as development,” Census Commissioner Muhammad Younis told a press conference here on Saturday.

He said the data would be of immense help to the district governments while preparing development plans and bring the less developed areas at par with relatively more developed areas in their jurisdiction.

“It will provide them with tehsil level data on infrastructure like roads, telecommunication, electricity, water supply, schools, colleges, cultivated and uncultivated land, etc, to base their future plans on.”

Moreover, the census will also provide the basic structure for the livestock census scheduled to be held in 2006.

The last village census was held in 1998. “This time around we are also including around 16,000 unsettled areas or the villages within the scope of the census. Besides, the census will also be carried out for the first time in the Northern Areas,” Mr Younis said.

The earlier six village census were conducted between 1971 and 1998 in only settled areas.

The census will be carried out through patwaris who would act as enumerators. “They (patwaris) will be required to fill in the census forms with relevant information and data sought from them. The exercise will be undertaken in different parts of the country in phases because of the staff shortage,” Mr Younis said.

He defended the quality and credibility of information and data collected through the previous such exercises. Data collection efficiency and quality in Pakistan was better than many developing countries, conceding that there still existed room for improvement.