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Along with the establishment of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) and the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) will be merged into a single entity called the National Statistical Organisation (NSO). It will function as the executive wing of the Government in the field of statistics and act according to the policies and priorities, laid down by the NSC. The NSO would be headed by an Officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government, who will be designated as the Chief Statistician of India and also function as the Secretary to the Commission. He will discharge the functions of the Secretary of the Government in the Department of Statistics.
The NSO will have two wings, i.e. Central Statistics Office (CSO); and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The Computer Centre, dealing with data storage and dissemination will form part of the CSO. Thus, there will be two Director Generals of Statistics to assist the Chief Statistician of India, one in charge of NSSO and the other CSO.
The National Statistical Commission will be serviced by a Secretariat headed by the Secretary of the Commission, who will have the requisite autonomy to discharge its functions effectively and efficiently. In particular the Commission will have powers to:
Require production of any document, which may serve statistical purposes,
Ask the statistical agencies and institutions to provide details of statistical activities, including concepts and definitions used, methodologies followed, quality standards adopted, sampling and non-sampling errors, etc. in respect of ‘core statistics’;
Demand attendance of any person including any public servant on matters connected with core statistics and
Issue notices for the examination of witnesses and documents or any matters connected with core statistics.
The Commission will also have the authority to formulate its short and long-term programmes as well as prepare its Annual Report. The Central Government will lay the Report together with a memorandum of action taken on the recommendations therein, along with the reasons for non-acceptance of any recommendations, before Parliament. Where any recommendation or any part thereof concerns a State Government, the Commission will forward a copy of the recommendation or part thereof to be laid before the State Legislature, along with a memorandum explaining the action taken on the recommendations and reasons for non-acceptance if any.
It may be recalled that the National Statistical Commission set up by the government in January, 2000 under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan to review the statistical system of the country, recommended the establishment of a Statutory National Commission on Statistics to serve as a nodal and empowered body for all core statistical activities of the country, as well as evolve, monitor and enforce priorities and standards to ensure statistical co-ordination. Dr. Rangarajan also recommended that the Commission be set up initially through a Government order with a modicum of authority so as to evolve the legislation taking into account the ground realities and the emerging requirements when it becomes fully operational. In line with the above recommendations, the Commission was set up initially through a Government resolution in June this year. It is expected that the Statutory Commission would be ready within a year. Of the 600 and odd recommendations of Dr. Rangarajan, the Government has already implemented over 200 of them.
VKS/AN
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