Census scheduled between Dec 24-30

For the first time ever, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has planned to conduct census across the country digitally from December 24 to 30 almost two months after it was originally planned in October.

The proposal for counting the country’s population has been sent to the Prime Ministers’ Office for the consent of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to BBS officials.

“We have decided to conduct census across the country from December 24 to 30. It has been delayed due to the second wave of Covid-19 and the procurement procedure of 3,95,000 tabs,” Project Director Kabir Uddin Ahmed told The Business Post.

“All kinds of necessary preparations to start the project are underway. The tender proposal of procuring tabs and air conditioners is awaiting the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Purchase.

After getting the assent, BBS will hold training programmes for enumerators in the second week of Decembers, and provide training with tabs digitally.

The National Identity (NID) card information will be included in the census.

“The proposal for holding sixth population census has been sent to the PMO for seeking approval of Prime Minister,” a senior official of BBS said, preferring to remain unnamed.

Since Bangladesh’s first population census in 1974, the BBS has been carrying out this flagship activity once in every decade. The second one was done in 1981, followed by three more in 1991, 2001, and 2011.

After completing census across the country, BBS is likely to publish a summary report of the census within a month, while a complete report on it will come out within six months.

The project is being implemented at a cost of Tk 1575.68 crore which will come from the government exchequer. A Tk 1299.21 crore has been allocated for Fiscal Year 2021-22, according to the project proposal.

On the other hand, a Tk 553 crore has been allotted to the procurement of tabs and ACs for implementing the project.

The bureau of statistics will procure digital devices and associated software to equip census manpower across the country.

Earlier, BBS floated a tender seeking to buy some 3,95,00 tablet PCs in June this year. Eight companies submitted tenders. Later only two firms -- Walton Digitech Industries Ltd and Fair Electronics Ltd (manufacturer and distributor of Samsung products in Bangladesh) -- participated in the bidding process.

Fair Electronics submitted a proposal of Tk 548 crore, while Walton Tk 402 crore for supplying the tablet PCs.

The BBS tender evaluation panel forwarded the note for cabinet purchase body’s approval for the procurement showing Fair Electronics as lone responsive bidder. On August 25, the cabinet committee rejected the proposal and asked to retender it.