PMO holds meet on statistical reform

A revamp of India's statistical system may be on the anvil, with the prime minister's office getting involved in the process. A meeting was held Tuesday to decide on the future course of action for the statistical framework in the country and address data quality issues.

One of the considerations was technology upgradation. Also on the agenda was streamlining of the statistical process. However, a decision is yet to be reached on how these reforms will be initiated. The statistics ministry has been facing criticism for the design and methodology of its surveys and the delays in publishing results. A paper published by a prime minister's economic advisory committee criticised the National Sample Surveys, which are used for estimating poverty and unemployment, for having data quality issues. "There is practically a consensus among academics and policymakers on the robustness and representativeness of the NSS survey methodology, which is replicated across other surveys such as the NFHS and the PLFS," the paper noted. The statistics ministry, in a reply in Lok Sabha, instead pointed out that they stood by the robustness of surveys and that the claims around survey problems were rooted in faulty approaches.

ET had earlier reported that the National Statistical Commission (NSC), an autonomous body on statistics, constituted expert committees to improve the survey process focusing on data quality, methodology and technology.


Last year, the government also reconstituted the standing committee on statistics with broader terms of reference to advise on all surveys.