- Redesigning the SCES: The Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES), which was established in late 2019, was criticised for data quality flaws in earlier surveys.
- Broader Purpose: The government creates the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) to replace the SCES, with the responsibility of reviewing all surveys conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
The composition and mandate of the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS)
- Pronab Sen, India’s first top statistician and previous chairman of the National Statistical Commission (NSC), has been selected as the new committee’s chair.
- SCoS has ten official members and four non-official members, including eminent academics.
Need for SCoS
- Concerns from the Economic Advisory Council: Members, including Bibek Debroy, have urged for a reorganisation of India’s statistical apparatus.
- Inadequate technical expertise: SCoS seeks to address criticisms by giving technical guidance on survey design and methodology.
- Concerns with the Indian Statistical Service: Concerns raised concerning the Indian Statistical Service’s skill in survey design.
SCoS Roles and Responsibilities for examining
- Framework and outcomes: The SCoS is responsible for examining the framework and outcomes of all NSO surveys.
- Identification of Data Gaps: SCoS discovers data gaps in official statistics and proposes solutions to fill those gaps.
- Administrative Statistics: A committee has been formed to investigate the use of administrative statistics to improve data outputs.
Source: https://thewire.in/government/union-govt-establishes-new-panel-to-review-all-surveys-conducted-under-nso#:~:text=The%20government%20has%20replaced%20the,new%20chair%20of%20the%20panel.