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INDIAN STATISTICAL SYSTEM (General Issues with Indian Statistics (Time lag…
INDIAN STATISTICAL SYSTEM
Statistical Architecture in India
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) was later created in 1999
National Statistical Commission (NSC) was set up in 2005
Ministry has two wings, one relating to Statistics and the other Programme Implementation
Statistics Wing called the National Statistical Office (NSO) consists of
Central Statistical Office (CSO)
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
Prof PC Mahalanobis who was known as ‘father of Indian Statistical System
General Issues with Indian Statistics
Data sources are not available readily
Non-availability of critical fiscal data such as the data on pay and allowances
Capacity Building
Divergence in definitions and criteria
Large unorganised Sector
Lack of transparency and reliability of fiscal data due to cash-based accounting
Lack of continuous long-term series of fiscal data
Time lag issues
Both CMIE and NSSO are compiled over months, and this means they do not capture data at a particular point of time
Politicisation of Data
Erosion of autonomy of institutions
Senior officials of National Statistics Commission resigned recently over the holding back of jobs data
Implications
Widening Trust Deficit on country’s official data
Investors and Industries
get impacted due to lack of predictability towards the country’s economy
Ineffective Policy Response
Absence of public accountability
Impact on Public Discourse
Way Forward
finalizing the draft National Policy on Official Statistics
Whenever the base for national accounts is updated—as it should be to incorporate conceptual changes, statistical changes
The NSC should be reconstituted at the earliest and steps taken to empower it with adequate resources as an independent watchdog
Rather than strive for speed in disseminating data on a more real-time basis, it would be better to tarry and provide final numbers even if there are lags involved
India’s fiscal data system should be developed in the framework of ‘information’ federalism wherein cooperation, coordination and competition among the different tiers of federal governance would build up a modern state-of-the-art fiscal data system