India's statistical system faces a crisis today, say 88 percent of statistical data consumers. This is according to a study by independent journalist Pramit Bhattacharya, who has just published a paper titled "India's statistical system: past, present and future."

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The paper highlights many well-known problems with Indian statistics — the decadal census which was due in 2021 not yet being conducted to the increasing unreliability of key data sets like GDP after doubts were raised about the corporate data that it uses from the MCA21 to the government not publishing the Consumer Expenditure Survey of 2016, as the CPI and the IIP series dependent on it becoming out of date.

Bhattacharya's paper points to several systemic problems like — perceived lack of independence of the National Statistical Organisation, instances of government wanting to control the data narrative, conflict between the MOSPI and various arms of government hurting quality and importance of statisticians at the central and state level, and the lack of financial and human resources.

Bhattacharya recommends setting up of a new statistical reforms commission to lay down a new statistical architecture for the country and legal backing for the National Statistics Commission which is the regulator of statistics. Bhattacharya also recommends a CAG like structure for the statistics department as well.

Rathin Roy, Managing Director of ODI, believes that as the competence of government declines in doing economic statecraft, the ability to keep the statistical system robust is going to come down. He added that despite bureaucratic squabbles that took place between 1950s and 1980s, the government had a stake in the statistical system because it needed that information to be able to plan forward. Now the government does not need it, and that is the major reason for the system being in decline.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, PC Mohanan, former member of National Statistical Commission, said the deterioration of National Sample Survey, the CSO and interference of non-statistical people in data collection exercise has led to the statistical crisis in India.

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"The statistical system started deteriorating from the 1990s, when the entire ecosystem of data collection, data processing, data dissemination, all started changing, but the system could not keep up with that. So, after the 1990s, we find very drastic deterioration in two of the biggest arms of the statistical system, the National Sample Survey and also the CSO and then we had non-statistical people interfering in most of the data collection exercise," Mohanan said.

Bhattacharya also highlights that things are far worse at the state level and the state governments in most cases are not very concerned about it.

Watch video for entire conversation.

First Published:Jun 28, 2023 11:31 PM IST