Lok Sabha Question No. 3031 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Capacity Development (CD) Scheme
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Shri Yogender Chandolia

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3031 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT (CD) SCHEME

3031. SHRI SURESH KUMAR KASHYAP: SHRI YOGENDER CHANDOLIA:

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

- (a) the details of the progress achieved under the Capacity Development (CD) scheme so far;
- (b) the present status of the implementation of Economic Census under the said scheme;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  assessment  of  the impact  of  the  said  scheme  on  statistical  capacity,  data  quality  and timeliness; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## 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  Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme  Implementation  (MoSPI) achieved significant progress under Capacity Development (CD) scheme in strengthening India's statistical system through improvements in data quality, timeliness, and digital dissemination. Major achievements under CD Scheme are as under:

Survey  processes  were  modernized  through  the  use  of  Computer Assisted  Personal  Interview  (CAPI)  integrated  with  e-sigma  platform incorporating in-built validation checks, AI-enabled chatbot, and multilingual  interfaces,  resulting  in  faster  release  of  survey  results. Sampling designs for key surveys such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) were enhanced to produce monthly, quarterly estimates. The base years of major macroeconomic indicators, namely Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been revised.

In addition, Data dissemination and accessibility have been significantly enhanced through the revamped MoSPI website, GoIStats mobile application, e-Sankhyiki portal, Microdata Portal and the use of APIs  for  data  exchange. MoSPI  has  also  launched  a  new  web  based monitoring system called PAIMANA (Project Assessment Infrastructure Monitoring and Analytics for Nation-Building) to monitor the status of Ongoing Central Sector Infrastructure Projects costing Rs. 150 crore and  above. MoSPI  has  also  strengthened  stakeholder  engagement through data user conferences, consultations, workshops, and feedback mechanisms and promoting research and innovation through collaborations with academic institutions.

MoSPI has undertaken comprehensive data harmonisation/ standardisation initiatives which inter-alia includes adoption of National Metadata Structure (NMDS 2.0), introduction of the Statistical Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF), alignment with national and international classification standards.

Additionally, National Statistical Systems Training Academy (NSSTA) a premier  Central  Training  Institute  under  MoSPI  organizes  different training programmes on regular basis on "Official Statistics and related fields" including digital tools, data analytics and data governance for the  capacity  building  of  the  Statistical  personnel  of  Central  and State/UT Governments to ensure better data collection from the field.

Under  the  'Support  for  Statistical  Strengthening  (SSS)'  sub-scheme, MoSPI is providing financial assistance to States/UTs to strengthen/improve  the  statistical  capacity  and  operations  of  State statistical systems for data collection, compilation and dissemination.

(b) MoSPI has taken initiatives for conduct of the 8th Economic Census (EC) and  it  is  a  part  of  EFC  proposal  of  continuation  of Capacity Development scheme of MoSPI.

(c) & (d) The third-party evaluation study of Capacity Development (CD) Scheme  has  been  conducted  during  August,  2025  to  November, 2025.   The  evaluation  report, inter-alia,  clearly  indicated  that  the Scheme  is  crucial  for  strengthening  statistical  capacity,  supporting SDG monitoring, and ensuring timely and reliable data dissemination and recommended for continuation of the CD Scheme beyond its current term.

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