The great headcount

The bureau must sensitise the enumerators on the need to appreciate the differences.

The government has asked the Central Bureau of Statistics to come up with a timetable for completing the 12th Nepal Population and Housing Census 2021 before Dashain. The fact that the once-in-a-decade count gives a temporal perspective to the social and demographic situation of the country means that the census must be conducted during a fixed interval, and we cannot afford to take a long break. But a census in the midst of a pandemic is like a double-edged sword, as questions remain whether it is possible to conduct it effectively even as a third wave is possibly just around the corner.