Lok Sabha Question No. 3071 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Strengthening India’s Statistical Ecosystem
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Arup Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3071 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## STRENGTHENING INDIA'S STATISTICAL ECOSYSTEM

## 3071. SHRI ARUP CHAKRABORTY:

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

- (a)  whether the Government has assessed the current status and capacity of India's statistical ecosystem including data collection mechanisms, survey quality, timeliness of data release and institutional autonomy and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has identified gaps related to manpower, technology, funding and  coordination between central and State statistical systems that affect the reliability and credibility  of  official  statistics  and  if  so,  the  corrective  measures taken or proposed thereof; and
- (c) whether the Government proposes to strengthen India's statistical ecosystem through reforms such as adoption of advanced data technologies, capacity-building of statistical personnel, improved transparency and adherence to global best practices and if so, the details and timelines 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)  to  (c):  In  the  evolving  statistical  ecosystem,  the  assessment of capacity  of  statistical system  and  institutional  reforms  is  a continuous  process  to  keep  it  updated.  Recently,  Ministry  of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has  undertaken several significa nt reforms to strengthen India's statistical

ecosystem by enhancing the quality, frequency, timeliness, granularity, harmonisation, and accessibility of official statistics. A  major  focus  has  been  the  modernization  of  National  Sample Surveys through the adoption of digital platforms such as Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) integrated with e- sigma platform incorporating  in-built  validation  checks,  AI-enabled  chatbot,  and multilingual  interfaces  etc.  MoSPI  has  launched  short  duration surveys  to  cater  the  emerging  need  for  high-frequency  socioeconomic indicators. Significant  reforms  have  also  been  undertaken  in  macroeconomic statistics, including base revision of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Consumer Price Index (CPI), and Index of Industrial Production (IIP). 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. Data dissemination  and  accessibility  have  been  significantly  enhanced through the revamped MoSPI website, GoIStats mobile application, eSankhyiki  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 supports State/ UTs to enhance their capacity building through its  Support  for  Statistical  Strengthening  (SSS)  Sub-Scheme  which aims to improve/ strengthen the statistical capacity and operations of the state statistical system for collecting, compiling and disseminating reliable official statistics at substate level. 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. Further, MoSPI has also strengthened the coordination between Central and State statistical agencies through conferences, consultations, workshops, and feedback mechanisms.

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