Lok Sabha Question No. 3770 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Data Collection Exercises in West Bengal
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Dr. T Sumathy Alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Dr. Jayanta Kumar Roy

3770.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3770 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2024

## DATA COLLECTION EXERCISES IN WEST BENGAL

DR. JAYANTA KUMAR ROY:

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

- (a) whether the Government has undertaken surveys or data collection  exercises  in  the  State  of  West  Bengal  to  identify developmental  gaps  and  track  socio-economic  progress  and  if so, the findings thereof; and
- (b) the steps being taken to improve the accuracy and timeliness of statistical  data  under  the  Aspirational  District  Programme  or
- other Central initiatives?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION;  MINISTER  OF STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  OF  THE  MINISTRY  OF  PLANNING AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  CULTURE  [RAO INDERJIT SINGH]

- (a): The  National  Statistics  Office  under  the  Ministry  of  Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is responsible for conducting sample surveys on various socio-economic subjects on All India basis. These  surveys  cover  the  entire  country  except  some  villages  of Andaman & Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible. The reports of these  surveys  alongwith  their  findings  are  available  publicly  on  the website of MoSPI and give estimates of important indicators such as health, education, labour force, and economic planning, etc based on the Central sample data, both at the national level and the State/UT level. Further, the States/UTs, including West Bengal, also participate, through  respective  State  agencies/DESs,  in  the  socio-economic  NSS round surveys conducted by MoSPI.
- (b): Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a product of collective efforts in which States are the main drivers and aims to quickly and

effectively  transform  112  most  under-developed  districts  across  the country. At Central level, this programme is anchored by NITI Aayog. NITI  Aayog  works  closely  with  the  respective  line  Ministries  and various  development  partners  to  fast-track  progress  at  the  district level.  Under  the  ADP,  districts  undertake  various  developmental projects to address critical gaps using the financial grants they win through the programme's delta ranking method. The ranking is based on the  incremental  progress  made  across  49  Key  performance indicators under 5 broad socio-economic themes - Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Infrastructure. The districts are also encouraged to develop  and  replicate  best  practices  that  drive  improvement  across the  socio-economic  themes.  The  performance  of  the  Aspirational Districts is available in the public domain portal named 'Champions of Change'. To ensure the accuracy and timeliness of statistical data in surveys of MoSPI, robust and well-defined mechanisms are employed in different statistical  products  which  undergo  periodic  improvements  based  on evolving  needs,  feedback,  and  advancements  in  methodologies  to enhance their effectiveness. The primary data collection is being done in digital platform using Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) with in-built validation mechanism to ensure consistency at the stage of data collection. The accuracy of the data is ensured by multi-level data scrutiny and validation checks. A robust training mechanism is followed to  address the conceptual queries and monitoring the data quality.

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