Govt. dissolves panel on statistics, surveys amid delayed Census

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CategoryPolity

Last Updated10/09/2024

Panel being dismantled as its work overlaps with a newer steering committee for the National Sample Surveys, says NSSO Director-General

The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has dissolved the 14-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS), chaired by eminent economist Pronab Sen.
The dissolution occurred amid concerns raised by the committee members over the delay in conducting India's census.

According to an email from Geeta Singh Rathore, Director-General of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), the reason for disbanding the SCoS was that its work overlapped with that of the recently constituted Steering Committee for National Sample Surveys.
However, Dr. Sen stated that no official reason was provided to the committee members, adding that discussions about the delay in the census were a frequent topic during their meetings.

India's decennial census, conducted every ten years since the 1870s, was last completed in 2011. The 2021 census has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to be scheduled.
Many economists are concerned that statistical surveys are still using data from the 2011 census, which affects the accuracy and quality of current surveys.

Formed in July 2023, the SCoS was designed to advise the government on survey methodology, including sampling and the tabulation of surveys. Ms. Rathore explained that the recently established Steering Committee for National Sample Surveys, which was created based on a recommendation from the National Statistical Commission (NSC), had overlapping responsibilities with the SCoS.
As a result, the SCoS was dissolved, with at least four of its members joining the new Steering Committee.

Despite its brief tenure, the SCoS played a significant role in improving survey frameworks, sampling designs, and data reliability, which are crucial for evidence-based policymaking. The Ministry acknowledged the valuable contributions made by the SCoS to various surveys.

Dr. Sen emphasized that the SCoS’s primary mandate was to guide the Ministry in data collection methodologies.
The lack of a census was repeatedly raised in the committee’s meetings, with members questioning the government's delay in conducting the census. Another committee member suggested that these questions might have led to the SCoS being disbanded.

Opposition leaders, including Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, have criticized the government's decision to disband the SCoS. Mr. Ramesh linked the delay in conducting the census to the denial of ration benefits to approximately 10 crore Indians under the National Food Security Act, 2013, and the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.