Separate census demanded

National Alliance of Disabled People's Organisations (NADPO) yesterday demanded an independent national census of the physically challenged people in the country.
They said the fifth national census that ended in March 19 would not give an accurate picture on the number of people with different forms of physical challenges in Bangladesh.
Therefore, a separate census needs to be conducted to get a correct statistic on this.
The demand came at a press conference organised by NADPO at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.
“Neither the census officials went to every household, nor did they enquire whether the households have any family member with any form of disability,” said NADPO President Abdus Sattar Dulal.
While some households were asked the question, their types of disability were not taken into account, he said.
The census form had six columns of question on physically challenged people, and in many cases, the questions remained unanswered, he added.
“Therefore, a big opportunity to get a picture of the physically challenged population has been lost,” said Abdus Sattar, demanding an independent census on this.
He said the fifth national census might even be less informative on the physically challenged than the fourth census conduced in 1991.
Speakers said an accurate statistics of this population is important for planning development activities for them.
“Without a precise idea on this figure, it would be difficult to come up with plans and policies to develop them and help them to contribute in the national economy,” said the NADPO President.
At current, more than 10 percent of the total Bangladeshi population are physically challenged, said NADPO officials.
The number may be startling as most physically challenged are rarely seen outdoors since the country's cities and transportation facilities are not friendly to them, they said.