Govt aware of data collection centres' shortcomings, trying to upgrade: MoS Rao Inderjit Singh

Amid concerns over credibility of statistical data, the government on Wednesday said it is aware of the shortcomings of data collection centres and is trying to upgrade them.

Claiming that the country is facing a statistical crisis, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, during the Question Hour, said the government withdrew the National Statistical Office's (NSO) consumer expenditure survey conducted in 2017-18.

He was referring to the government's decision to scrap the NSO consumer expenditure survey over data quality.

The survey had showed that consumer spending was falling for the first time in over four decades.

Tharoor also asked whether the government would agree to a review of the process by a committee of independent experts, domestic and international.

Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh told the House that the government welcomed suggestions to improve the data collection centres.

"The government is aware of the shortcomings in the data collection centres. It is a continuous process. We are trying to upgrade it," he said.

"We would be happy to have any inputs that the member (Tharoor) might want to give on this. But this is a decision that the government will have to take on its own after taking inputs from all those concerned, whether they are international or domestic entities," he said.