See Full Document Text
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 significant reforms to strengthen India’s statisticalecosystem 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 socio-
economic 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, 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 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 sub- state 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.
*****