The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has established a new Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) to offer guidance on official data produced by the National Statistical Office (NSO). This committee, chaired by Pronab Sen, the former head of the National Statistical Commission and India’s first Chief Statistician, replaces a previous committee formed in 2019 that focused on economic data advice.
The earlier committee, known as the Standing Committee on Economic Statistics, was tasked with evaluating economic indicators, especially those related to industrial and service sectors, and labor force statistics. This included the review of high-frequency data like the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as well as surveys such as the Economic Census, Annual Survey of Industries, and Periodic Labour Force Survey.
The newly formed SCoS, under the Ministry’s directive issued on July 13, holds an expanded set of responsibilities. It not only advises the Ministry on existing surveys and data sets but also identifies data gaps and proposes methods to address them. Additionally, the committee will conduct pilot surveys and studies to develop more effective approaches for collecting accurate data. The new committee is smaller than its predecessor, consisting of fewer members compared to the previous 28-member panel focused on economic data review.
