By Chhetu Sherpa, Kathmandu, June 14: The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) has been preparing to resume national populaiton census, which was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant restriction enforced since April 30, starting from mid-July.

According to Dundi Raj Lamichhane, chief of national population census section of the CBS, census will start by mid-July after taking permission from the government if the COVID-19 cases decrease by that time and that the census will be completed as per the target within two months from its start, that it by mid-October.

He said that the works related to populaiton census will be forwarded considering data of the health ministry with regard to infection cases and as per the decision of the government.

Earlier, the CBS has already appointed supervisors for the census and imparted a five-day training to them. The supervisors are to be given training for two days more.

The CBS will also start process to appoint some 43 thousand enumerators by mid-July for the 12the national census. The enumerators will make household visits. They will be imparted training before being mobilised to collect the data.

The CBS is also prepared to ask the government about the next step if the pandemic continues.

The CBS has said that 85 per cent of works related to national census that is conducted every decade has been completed.

According to the previous work plan, enumeration was to start by June 22 after imparting training to the enumerators and completing other related works.

At least 10 enumerators are to be mobilised in a rural municipality for the data collection. The government has a plan to mark the census as a national day not as a mere decennially programme of data collection.