Nadra hands over 17,600 tablets to PBS for digital census.

ISLAMABAD -- In a significant move towards commencement of the first-ever digital population and housing census, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Sunday handed over the last batch of 17,600 Android tablet computers to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

It, however, continues to remain an enigma if fresh delimitation will be carried out for the upcoming general polls or otherwise.

Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik handed over the secure tablets powered by a software indigenously developed by Nadra to PBS chief statistician Dr Naeem-uz-Zafar.

A key component of the seventh Population and Housing Census was the delivery of 126,000 tablets. Nadra has ensured timely assembling and delivery of the hardware through 40 containers in five batches of 21,600 tablets each.

It is unclear if fresh delimitation will be carried out for upcoming general polls or otherwise

Nadra chairman also visited the software development facility, hardware hardening assembly line and dispatch facility housed at PBS headquarters.

Distribution of these tablets in 495 census districts across the country turned out to be a challenging task. Nadra successfully completed the gigantic exercise in nine days to supplement the enormous training of more than 90,000 enumerators at 932 venues.

Mr Malik lauded efforts of the Nadra team of more than 100 experts that achieved a major milestone of assembling and distribution of 126,000 tablet computers within a short timeframe.

The team efficiently ruggedised and hardened the huge number of tablets at the assembly line facility.

Speaking on the occasion, the Nadra chairman said: 'Digital census is step that pulls Pakistan out of ancient past and opens the door of modern future.

'From scribbled responses on millions of paper sheets to real time validated data in apps on secure devices with the satellite imagery is a step towards Digital Pakistan,' he said.

'Big data from digital census would become foundational system for evidence-based policy making for Pakistan,' he noted.

Nadra developed the digital solution for digital census using modern Agile Methodology in just three weeks' time.

The comprehensive digital solution includes development and deployment of Android-based house listings and enumeration application synchronised with global positioning system (GPS) and geographical information system (GIS), data centre services, call centre services, establishment of technical support centres at each tehsil level...