‘Naval Census’ will be held from 20-29 August 2026 with the slogan ‘Make the Nauyan Shumari successful, build a prosperous Bangladesh’. On this occasion, the Barishal Divisional Administration and BBS Barishal organized an ‘Awareness Seminar’ at 9 am on Wednesday at the conference room of the city’s Circuit House. Divisional Commissioner Khalil Ahmed spoke as the chief guest at the meeting. In his speech as the chief guest, the Divisional Commissioner said that a census is very necessary in a civilized country. The Statistical Office plays an important role in portraying an accurate picture of the country’s socio-economic development and wealth distribution.
The government uses statistical information in the proper adoption and implementation of various plans and development activities. To obtain accurate information, it is necessary to prepare good quality questionnaires in conducting the census and it is inappropriate to collect information from anyone younger than 14 years of age. He said that countries in the world that are proficient in navigation are more powerful. With the advancement of technology, there has been a huge change in the way of fishing. Currently, it is possible to catch more fish in a short time using satellite technology.
Our country’s fishermen are lagging behind fishermen in many areas compared to those of other countries. Fishermen risk their lives to go fishing in the deep sea. Due to the lack of modern technology, communication with them is lost during disasters, resulting in many fishermen dying prematurely. He also said that the plan is to provide each fisherman with a walkie-talkie or mobile phone to protect them from storms in the deep sea.
Disaster messages will be delivered to them using satellite and radar technology. In addition, the fishermen’s boats will have solar panels so that they can charge their mobile phones. In addition, the fishermen will be made proficient in using GPS. At this time, he drew the attention of the concerned department to ensure that wooden boats can be registered at a low cost.
The seminar, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Md. Mamun Khandaker, was attended by Barisal Range DIG Dr. Md. Saifullah Bin Anwar, Deputy Police Commissioner Sushanta Sarkar and Additional Police Superintendent Masum Billah as special guests.
Joint Director of Barisal Divisional Statistics Office Md. Jahangir Alam presented a presentation on the Boat Census 2026 at the event, and Deputy Director of District Statistics Office Md. Atiqur Rahman delivered the welcome speech. Officials of various government departments, owners of various boats, representatives of development organizations and media personnel were present at the event.
It is to be noted that all engine-powered boats, dumb barges and other engine-powered boats operating in the sea-going, coastal and inland waters of Bangladesh will be included in the census. However, boats operated under the supervision and ownership of the military will be outside the scope of this census.