Gosaibi, Minister of Economy and Planning, announced Tuesday the launch of a massive field operation for the 15-day 4th National Census for Population and Housing scheduled to start on April 28. Starting from Saturday some 43,000 workers, who received training in Riyadh on how to conduct census operation, will be deployed in various regions and districts of Saudi Arabia. Mohanna Al-Mohanna, recently promoted as Director-General of Census Bureau and Supervisor of 4th National Census for Population and Housing, assured the public, particularly the foreign workers, that their privacy would be protected even if an expatriate's work status is illegal due to the expiry of residence permit.?He said all personal information will remain confidential to the entral Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) and no census information will be published or otherwise made available in a way that would enable an individual or household to be identified, he said. “The census officials are in no way representing the passport or police departments. They (enumerators) are assigned purely for the purpose of personal data collection as part of the national census process,” he said. Counting of population would include Saudis as well as expatriates. “We have translators accompanying the enumerators,” he said. At a ceremony held at the CDSI here Tuesday, Al-Gosaibi said that April 27 will be the “Census Night,” marking the start of 4th National Census for Population and Housing in Saudi Arabia. “I really urge all people to participate in this exercise by answering the 59-point questionnaire in an accurate manner,” he said. Al-Gosaibi inaugurated state-of-the-art Media and Information Center (MIC).
