KATHMANDU, May 18: Nepal has completed more than 87 percent of its second National Economic Census 2082, according to the National Statistics Office.
The office shared the latest progress update during a press conference held in Thapathali, Kathmandu, on Monday.
Dhundiraj Lamichhane, deputy chief statistics officer and spokesperson of the office, said the census, which began on April 15 (Baisakh 2), will continue until June 21. He said field enumerators have already distributed more than 800,000 paper forms and over 10,000 e-census tokens across the country.
National economic census 2018 kick-starts
Chief Statistics Officer Kamal Prasad Pokhrel said field-level data collection is progressing actively and urged businesses and institutions involved in the census to provide accurate and factual information. He also requested media organizations, especially radio broadcasters, to help raise public awareness about the ongoing census campaign.
According to Dr. Pokhrel, the economic census will serve as an important foundation for the government’s future development goals. The census aims to gather updated data on businesses, institutions, employment, and economic activities, while also strengthening estimates related to gross domestic product and national accounts. The information will additionally help create statistical sampling frameworks for future establishment-based surveys and support federal, provincial, and local governments in policy planning, implementation, and evaluation.
During the interaction program, radio broadcasters expressed concern over government cuts to public advertising, arguing that such measures could weaken the radio sector. Participants also complained about the burden of paying multiple types of taxes through a complicated process.
Amrit Adhikari said radio remains one of the most effective and widely accessible media platforms in Nepal. He urged the government to adopt flexible policies to protect the sector, including tax relief measures and easier access to government advertising support.
