Data collection plan gets Cabinet nod

By Sandun A Jayasekera

The Cabinet has given the green light to establish a National Policy for the Collection of Data and Information Classified by Gender and Age of the people, Cabinet Spokesman, Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday.  He said the difficulty in obtaining information on gender and age groups except for a limited number of census and surveys by the Department of Census and Statistics and the surveys of the health sector has become an issue in the policy and planning process. “This personal information is essential for identifying government-prioritized needs, especially in the field of child and women’s development, understanding their trends and determining plans and strategies for addressing them,” Minister Rambukwella emphasized. Accordingly, the Cabinet approved the proposal presented by Minister of Education, Prof. G.L.Peiris to make it compulsory to collect information based on gender and age group in all census, surveys and studies conducted by Ministries, Departments and Statutory Institutions under its purview, he added. The cabinet earlier gave the nod to prepare a National Registration for all Sri Lankans that contains personal data contained in the birth certificate and National Identity Card.