Lagging indicators

Delays in annual reports cause an information vacuum

It is axiomatic that policymaking in a modern, complex economy is crucially dependent on reliable data and information as close to real-time as possible. This is doubly important for a country like India, which relies significantly on government expenditure on welfare programmes in which taxpayer money is dispensed and administered through various ministries and departments. Designing coherent and effective programmes and policies, therefore, requires updated information detailing and assessing the work that has been done by ministries and their related institutions. Most of this vital information is contained in the annual reports of ministries, departments, and autonomous bodies. But according