The BPS is scheduled to commence its door-to-door efforts on Sept. 1, when census takers will visit homes to conduct interviews or provide questionnaires, according to the agency’s head Suhariyanto during the kick-off ceremony on Monday.

The effort will complement the online census that the BPS held earlier between February and May this year.

“Population data is the key to planning in various sectors, including food [security], housing, education, health care and transportation, among others. There is unlikely to be any appropriate policy without accurate data,” Suhariyanto said on Monday. “It is not only significant for the present but also significant to anticipate the future of Indonesia.”

This year marked the first time that the national census would be conducted both online and offline. Some 51.36 million people, 19 percent of the country’s population, have completed the online census, Suhariyanto said, while adding that the BPS would continue to count the remaining 81 percent of the population in September.

“Considering that it is the first time that it [the national census] has been carried out online, [the result] is very encouraging,” he said.

The lack of reliable citizens’ data has been criticized by experts as the main challenge to properly disbursing the country’s Rp 695.2 trillion (US$47.4 billion) COVID-19 stimulus package, especially with regard to social aid.

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