Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei highlighted the importance of accurate and reliable statistics in devising national policies and urged people to help conduct a national census.
"All the people should actively participate in this key plan," Ayatollah Khamenei was quoted by his official website as saying in a meeting with the staff of Statistical Center of Iran on Tuesday.
"People from all walks of life should take part in the implementation of this plan and provide precise responses to questions by census takers to help authorities make accurate, proper and efficient decisions," he added.
The Leader noted that reliable and comprehensive data are key to building a self-reliant, oil-independent national economy driven by knowledge-based firms.
"A knowledge-based economy, which paves the way for the country's progress, is based on the capabilities of an educated and creative workforce. It is essential to find out how many talented and motivated young people are active in various economic and technical sectors."
Ayatollah Khamenei has outlined a national economic plan, known as Resistance Economy, to boost production and productivity and wean the country off oil revenues.
"Resistance economy is the solution to the country's problems. Even if all international doorways are opened to a non-self-developing national economy, it will be doomed," he said.
The implementation of the census-taking plan is scheduled to begin on September 24 and last three weeks.
