Mock census in Makwanpur

Kathmandu - A mock census is going in Makwanpur district as a part of rehearsal of the 12th National Census taking place next year. The event which had to be completed in Chait (March/April) was delayed three months due to COVID-19 lockdown, said Statistics Officer at the Bureau of Statistics Office, Makwanpur Rajesh Das.

Social distancing has been maintained in the process being undertaken by employees, numerators and supervisors. They have been provided sufficient quantity of hand sanitiser, mask and gloves. They are instructed to meet respondents in open, avoid unnecessary chit-chats and not to enter their homes. As per the customs, the mock census takes place a year before the national census.

The national census this time has been scheduled from June 8 to 22 next year with the theme of ''my census, my participation''. This time questionnaires have been prepared in an integrated structure unlike past practices. Four areas have been selected for pilot census, which have 638 houses and 867 families. Two areas lie within Hetauda Sub-Metropolis and two others are Indra Sarobar Rural Municipality and Thaha Municipality.

Tabloids have been used for first two areas and census is taking place in a paper form in the remaining two. Friday marks the 12th day of the mock census and till then, census was conducted at 543 households. Questionnaires have been presented in two sections: the introductory parts includes the names of province, district, Rural Municipality/Municipality, Ward/tole, name and surname of head of the household, contact number, number of family members which also includes one staying within the family for more than six months, absence ( home or abroad).

The family section features ownership of house being used or occupied the family, house foundation, house wall, types of roof, house floor, main sources of drinking water, cooking fuel, electricity source, toilet, woman's ownership over land and house, small industries except agriculture, household assets such as television, internet facility, landline telephone, computer, laptop, cycle, motorcycle, vehicle, refrigerator, washing machine, micro oven, livestock, poultry and family business.

The questionnaires require the presentation of cause of the death of any member in the family in the past 12 months. If the dead is woman between 15-49 years of age, the state at times of death is to be mentioned. Under the personal details, names and surnames of individuals staying in the family, relation to the head of the family, sex and gender, date of birth, caste, mother tongue (first language), second language and ancestral language, religion, marital status, educational details, migration, disability and so on. Nepal had conducted its first census in 1968 BS (1911). The latest census in 2068 BS put the country's population at 26,494,504.