Lok Sabha Question No. 2158 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-02
Subject: Survey Conducted by NSO
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Sushil Kumar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2158 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2023

## SURVEY CONDUCTED BY NSO

## 2158.  SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH:

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

PROGRAMME

- (a) whether MOSPI  has  constituted a new  internal oversight mechanism,  Standing  Committee  on  Statistics  (SCoS),  for  official data,  replacing  the  Standing  Committee  on  Economic  Statistics (SCES) with an extended mandate to review all surveys conducted under the National Statistical Office (NSO), if so, the details thereof; (b) the detailed terms of reference and composition of the committee;
- (c)  the details regarding the utilisation of administrative statistics to  enhance  data  outcomes  as  mandated  to  the  SCoS  and  the progress made in this regard;
- (d) the rationale behind reducing the number of committee members from 28 in SCES to 16 in SCoS and the impact on the diversity of perspectives and expertise in the committee; and (e)  the  action  taken  to  fill  the  two  vacancies  in  the  National Statistical Commission (NSC), considering the reconstitution of NSC last December and the current status of these appointments?

## 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  CORPORATE AFFAIRS [RAO INDERJIT SINGH]

(a): Consequent upon review of the Standing Committee on Economic  Statistics  (SCES),  Ministry  of  Statistics  &  Programme

Implementation (MoSPI) has constituted the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) vide order dated 13.07.2023, with enhanced Terms of Reference (ToR) to deliberate and deliver various issues related to all surveys as and when required by MoSPI. (b): The composition and Terms of Reference of the committee are given in the statement at Annexure. (c):  The  Standing  Committee  on  Statistics  (SCoS)  was  constituted vide MoSPI order dated 13.07.2023. The Committee, is mandated to provide guidance for study and exploring the availability of administrative statistics relating to surveys/statistics which is one of the ToR of SCoS. (d): To begin with, the total number of members in the SCoS is kept as  16,  however,  provision  is  included  to  further  strengthen  the committee  on  the  need  basis  by  way  of  co-opting  members  and including experts as special invitees for specific requirements. (e): The filling up of vacancies in the National Statistical Commission  (NSC)  is  a  continuous  process.  The  Chairperson  and Members of the NSC are selected on the basis of the recommendations  of  a  Search  Committee  duly  constituted  by  the Government of India from time to time for the purpose. Prof. Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar as Chairman and Prof. Mukesh Mohania & Shri Asit Kumar Sadhu as Members have been appointed in the NSC by the Government.

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## Statement referred to in reply to parts (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2158 for 02.08.2023

## I. Composition of the committee is as under:

|   1. | Dr. Pronab Sen, former Program Director, India Team Researcher, International Growth Centre, New Delhi Email: pronab.sen@theigc.org                                          | Chairman (Non-official)   |
|------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
|    2 | Prof. Sonal De Desai, Professor, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi Email:- sonalde.desai@gmail.com, sdesai@umd.edu                            | Non-Official Member       |
|    3 | Dr. Biswanath Goldar, former Professor, Institute of Economic Growth(IEG), New Delhi Email: b_goldar77@yahoo.com                                                             | Non-Official Member       |
|    4 | Dr. S K Sasi Kumar, former Senior Fellow, VV Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNL), NOIDA, UP Email: sasikumarsk2@gmail.com                                                 | Non-Official Member       |
|    5 | Prof. S. Chandrasekhar, Professor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai Email: chandra@igidr.ac.in                                                | Official Member           |
|    6 | Director General (NSS), NSSO, MoSPI, New Delhi                                                                                                                               | Official Member           |
|    7 | Director General (Statistics), MoSPI, New Delhi                                                                                                                              | Official Member           |
|    8 | ADG, SCD, NSSO, MoSPI, Delhi                                                                                                                                                 | Official Member           |
|    9 | Executive Director (ED) or his representative, Modelling and Forecasting Division, Department of Statistics & Information Management (DSIM), Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai   | Official Member           |
|   10 | Dr. Tauqeer Ahmad, Head of Division, Division of Sample Surveys, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI), New Delhi Email: tauqueer.ahmad@icar.gov.in | Official Member           |
|   11 | Dr. Sandip Mitra, Associate Professor, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Kolkata Email:sandip@isical.ac.in                                                                  | Official Member           |
|   12 | Prof. Mausumi Bose, Professor, Applied Statistics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, Email: mausumi@isical.ac.in                                             | Official Member*          |
|   13 | Representative from three State DES (including one from NE) on rotational basis where State participation is there.                                                          | Official Member           |
|   14 | ADG (SDRD), NSSO, MoSPI, Kolkata                                                                                                                                             | Member Secretary          |

Note:  *Prof  Mausumi  Bose,  ISI,  Kolkata,  the  official  member  will  be  considered  as  nonofficial members after her superannuation/retirement.

## II. The ToR of the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS): Standing Committee shall deliberate  and  deliver  various  issues  related  to  all  surveys  as  and  when  required  by MoSPI. Its Terms of Reference shall include:

- i. To review the extant framework and to address the issues raised from time to time on the subject/results/methodology, etc. related to all surveys as brought before the SCoS by MoSPI.
- ii. To advise on survey methodology including sampling frame, sampling design, survey instruments, etc. and to finalize tabulation plan of surveys.
- iii. Finalization of survey results.
- iv. To  provide  guidance  to  conduct  pilot surveys/pre-testing, if necessary, before finalizing schedules for data collection.
- v. To  provide  guidance  for  study  and  exploring  the  availability  of  administrative statistics relating to surveys/statistics.
- vi. To provide guidance for study/identify data gaps/additional data requirements, if any, in respect of surveys/statistics and suggest appropriate strategy for improvement.
- vii. To provide technical guidance to the Central and State (wherever State participation is there) level agencies for the conduct of the surveys.
- viii. Any other matter relating to the surveys/survey  results referred to SCoS by MoSPI from time to time.