ISLAMABAD: Planning, Development and Reform Minister Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar on Monday visited the Statistics Division wherein he was given a detailed briefing on its working and functions by Statistics Division Secretary Shaista Sohail.
The minister said that Statistics Division has an important role to play as it provides a solid statistical base to national and international planners, policymakers, researchers and other data users in various socio-economic sectors.
He stated that the division should focus on improving the data quality to make need-based policy interventions. “It should also work on poverty mapping for targeted resource allocation,” he underlined.
It is pertinent to mention that the prime minister assigned the additional portfolio of the Ministry of Statistics to Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar on December 12, 2018.
The minister directed that a mechanism should be devised to educate the public on economic statistics, especially the trends in consumer price index (CPI) and inflation. There is also a need to compile data about the extent to which profiteering and hoarding adds to inflation, which subsequently affects the general public, he added.
