Lok Sabha Question No. 2080 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-15
Subject: Survey by NSSO
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: POONAM  MAHAJAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2080

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 15 TH  MARCH, 2017

## SURVEY BY NSSO

## 2080. SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether sample surveys undertaken by National  Sample Survey Office (NSSO) are conducted through contractual staff;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  including  the  number  of  employees hired on a contractual basis and the reasons for hiring them;
- (c) whether  it is  a  fact  that  sample  surveys  conducted  by contractual staff has affected the quality of data collected by them; and
- (d) if  so,  the  reaction  of  the  Government  thereto  and  the  action taken to minimize the margin of error in data collection?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION [SHRI

D.V. SADANANDA GOWDA]

- (a) and (b): The sample surveys undertaken by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) are conducted primarily through its regular staff. Contractual staff are engaged against the shortage of regular staff (i.e. vacancy  against  sanctioned  post  of  regular  staff)  and  requirement  of manpower for ad-hoc surveys undertaken in addition to regular surveys of  NSSO.  Scheme-wise  details  of  contractual  staff  engaged  for  data collection in the on-going surveys are mentioned in the statement given at Annexure.

(c)  and  (d):  To  ensure  that  quality  of  data/survey  is  not  adversely affected by engagement of the contractual manpower, field investigators  having  required  qualification/experience  are  engaged  for the  surveys.  Further,  these  Field  Investigators  are  given  extensive training both theoretical as well as practical in local languages before deployment to collect data. There is also a system of inspection/supervision and scrutiny of data by senior officers to check and  ensure  the  quality  of  data  and  monitor  the  working  of  Field Investigators during data collection.

## Annexure

## Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha

Unstarred Question No. 2080 for 15.03.2017 *****

As on 09.03.2017

| Details of contractual staff engaged in the in the on-going surveys of NSSO   | Details of contractual staff engaged in the in the on-going surveys of NSSO   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Scheme                                                                        | No. of contractual staff engaged                                              |
| NSS 74 th round Socio- Economic Survey                                        | 438                                                                           |
| Wholesale Price Index                                                         | 308                                                                           |
| Total                                                                         | 746                                                                           |

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