Government tells states to upgrade statistical divisions

The Centre has asked states for specific plans to help strengthen the statistical system, for which $107 million (Rs 470 crore) has been sanctioned in collaboration with the World Bank, as the veracity of various statistical data has drawn flak.

M S Gill, Union minister of statistics and programme implementation, has written to all chief ministers to also ensure their existing statistical divisions are upgraded to a separate department of statistics to improve the quality of data.

The National Statistical Commission under the chairmanship of C Rangarajan had recommended the elevation of statistical divisions in states.

“The ministry is undertaking the centrally sponsored scheme, ‘India Statistical Strengthening Project’ in collaboration with the World Bank... to strengthen the statistical system of state/UT governments for collecting, compiling and disseminating reliable statistics for planning and policy making,” the letter said. The letter asked states to upgrade their directorates of economics and statistics to a separate department of statistics.

Heads of the existing directorate should be scaled up to the level of secretary to the state government, Gill said.

He wanted existing directors be closely involved in the decision by making them members of committees or groups dealing with plans and programmes.

The letter further asked states to create a common statistical cadre and state statistical service for manning statistical posts in all departments.

This will empower the directorate in discharging the role of a nodal agency, effectively laying the grounds for developing a sound statistical system, that will improve the growing requirements of planners and policy makers for informed decision making.