Sindh to launch Rs101.7m cluster survey program for monitoring human development

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to launch a Rs101.752 million Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MISCS) program with the objective to fill in the data gaps for monitoring human development in general and situation of children and women in particular.

This was stated by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday while talking to Ms Cristina Brugiolo, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) Chief of Field Office, Sindh, at CM House to discuss UN Maternal and Child Nutrition Stunting Reduction Programme.

Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sajjad Jamal Abro, Secretary Health Usman Chachar and other concerned officers were also present on this occasion.

The CM said that MICS project would be executed by Bureau of Statistics of P&D department for which Rs12.5million had been released.

“Five rounds of MICS have been completed globally and now MICS-6 is going to be conducted during 2016-2019,” he said and added “MICS produces statistically sound, internationally comparable estimates of social indicators such as those required for monitoring the goals and targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international commitments.”

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Mohammad Waseem said that MICS was going to be conducted by the Sindh Bureau of Statistics, Planning & Development Department under the coordination of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad, with technical support of the Unicef.

A statement issued by the Sindh CM House said the purpose of conducting the MICS-6 was to provide relevant data for evidence based planning and policy making in various socio-economic sectors. The main objectives of the MICS’s round VI are as under:

i) Providing updated and reliable statistics on various social and economic indicators at households, including children, women and men, in the province.

ii) Enabling the decision makers at division and districts level by providing socio-economic indicators.

iii) Providing basis for comparison of the progress in relation to various key socio-economic indicators with previous rounds of MICS.

iv) Establishing benchmarks baseline of those indicators which were not covered earlier for assessment of the progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on regular basis in the province and for meeting other international commitments.

v) MICS-VI will provide data on 32 SDGs indicators and will address partially 1st to 8th, 10th, 16th and 17th Goals of SDGs.

vi) Using in depth analysis, identifying gaps and grey areas in social sectors by collecting relevant data up to district level and facilitating planners and policy makers for more effective and efficient resource allocations and evidence based planning and policy making.

vii) Provide data for time series analysis and cross comparisons.

Main training for collecting data on 171 indicator for several SDGs for Sindh has been started from October 1.

The UN Maternal and Child Nutrition Stunting Reduction (MCNSR) program is a USAID sponsored and Unicef implemented programme with the goal to contribute towards a reduction in stunting rates by focusing on the 1000 days critical window, through multi-sectoral approach.

Chairman P&D said that based on available data the targets have been defined to be reached under this programme. The targets are as follows:

At least 480,000 people with improved access to water services.

At least 800,000 people in the target talukas have access to and use sanitary latrines.

At least 600,000 people in target talukas living in Open Defecation Free (ODF) environment.

At least Six talukas (Mehrabpur, Moro, Kotdji and Kingri, Ubauro and Mirpur Mathelo) to be made open defecation free (ODF).

At least 600,000 people in intervention talukas washing hands with soap at critical times.

At least 133, 777 of children and 258.323 pregnant/ pre-pregnant and lactating women with access to essential micronutrients.

At least 303,228 of children accessing services on Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) management (screening of children).

At least 78.370 (1000/0 PLW in targeted districts) mothers and caregivers aware of Infant and Young Child Feeding practices.