ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: while appreciating the initiative undertaken by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in developing its electronic data collection system, President Dr Arif Alvi expressed the hope that the new system would auger well towards enhancing the credibility of price statistics and reducing the time tag.
In a meeting held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Tuesday, and in which a presentation was given by PBS on Tablet (Android) Based Price Data Collection System (TPCS), the president said that the interactive report making process would enable the policy makers to take timely decisions on the basis of real market prices prevailing in the country.
The president highlighted that data driven decision-making plays a vital role in achievement of long-term goals. The credibility of data provides the basis for unbiased and effective governance, he added.
The Secretary Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform briefed the president about the salient features of the TPCS, which was recently developed by PBS for collection of price statistics in the Country.
The TPCS will improve the data credibility and minimize human interaction besides real-time monitoring & location tracking of the Price Enumerators deployed in the field, he explained. The in-house developed software (TPCS) with features of real-time location tracking of enumerators through geo-coordinates, recording survey time and online connectivity with Headquarter would go a long way in maintaining a credible data base in the country, he added.
The PBS is responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of reliable and timely statistical information to the policy makers, planners and researchers.
The bureau is mandated to collect and publish the data of Price Statistics for Consumer Price Index (CPI), Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), Wholesale Price Index (WPI), and Rural Price Index ((RPI).
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