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Census Dept to carry on work despite lack of support from Grama Niladharis
The Department of Census and Statistics plans to go ahead with its schedule to conduct the population and housing census, despite Grama Niladharis claiming they would not support the process.
An official said that as the government has requested a report on the initial phase of the census process by the end of this year, they will be going ahead with their work.
He said they have trained members to collect the data.
“We started on November 1. Currently, we are facing difficulties due to the adverse weather conditions to reach some households in a few districts,” he added.
Usually this process is done with the help of the respective Grama Niladhari officers, but this year the Grama Niladhari officers have withdrawn from their support, citing various reasons, including their monthly pay and the allowance for this being too low.
A spokesman for the Eksath Grama Niladhari Association said that the Grama Niladhari officers face many financial difficulties due to their monthly pay being insufficient to cover their day-to-day expenses. Also, their allowance for this process is insufficient.
He said they have raised their concerns with the government on many occasions. He added that the country will have to face a severe crisis due to the shortage of Grama Niladhari officers.
Home Affairs State Minister Ashoka Pathirana raised these concerns in Parliament on Wednesday and said that a discussion was underway to resolve the issue.
Sri Lanka’s Population and Housing Census, which is conducted every ten years, was last done in 2012. The process is overseen by the Department of Census and Statistics.
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