In order to improve the credibility and reliability of India’s statistics, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has recommended that the National Statistical Commission (NSC) should be established as an autonomous body with statutory provisions.
In its 27th report titled, “Performance Review of National Statistical Commission” pertaining to Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the parliamentary panel underlined that the NSC, envisioned as the apex body for statistical governance, has yet to realize its full potential due to the absence of statutory backing and limited enforcement capacity.
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What did the panel say?
“Drawing from global best practices, particularly models like the UK Statistics Authority, the NSC should be restructured as an autonomous and accountable institution reporting to Parliament, supported by a professionally managed statistical office,” the panel said in its report.
The NSC was established in 2005 following the recommendations of C Rangarajan Commission, which reviewed the Indian Statistical System in 2001. The NSC has four members besides a chairperson, each having specialization and experience in specified statistical fields.
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Panel on oversight of Rangarajan commission’s recommendation
The parliamentary panel observed that the Rangarajan commission recommended creating a permanent, statutory body for official statistics, but the NSC was never given this legislative framework.
The committee noted that the reliability and quality of official statistics are vital for effective policy making and public trust. The committee further observed that the existence of different data producers, including a growing number of private data providers, creates the possibility of discrepancies between their statistical estimates and those published by the NSC, particularly for key indicators like GDP.
“These potential inconsistencies, which can undermine stakeholder confidence, are largely a result of the NSC’s lack of statutory authority to enforce uniform standards and methodologies across all data producers, including those in the private sector,” the committee observed.
Meanwhile, the MoSPI has told the committee that the NSC has autonomy to discharge its functions effectively and efficiently. “The NSC has developed adequate measures and mechanisms in this regard. In view of this, at present, regarding Statutory Body there is no such proposal under consideration,” the MoSPI told the committee on being asked about the status of the Draft National Statistical Commission (NSC) Bill, 2019. The bill proposed to establish NSC as an autonomous body.
The standing committee also recommended the MoSPI to prioritise implementation of a comprehensive artificial integration strategy within the national sample survey. “This strategy should focus on capacity building through targeted training programs, collaboration with academic and research institutions, and continuous skill development,” the committee said in its report. |
