The Hindu Business Line : Vasan urges creation of strong database on socio-economic issues

This would provide a sound database for taking evidence-based policy decisions in these critical sectors in conjunction with the objectives and priorities of the Central Government, according to the Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Mr G.K. Vasan.

Inaugurating a conference of Central and State Statistical Organisations here, Mr Vasan called upon statisticians to develop a strong database on various socio-economic parameters to help the Centre and the state governments in policy formulation.

The theme of the conference was `Training the Trainers' for the 64th Round of National Sample Survey.

Mr Vasan said the subjects for the 64th Round were picked keeping in mind the priorities of Government and the objectives of the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

He said the statistics system was being reengineered to produce reliable and timely data on all the important aspects to guide development strategy. Statistical advice has more reliable and timely solutions than a committee of experts.

Poverty alleviation

To formulate effective policies and programmes for eliminating poverty, Mr Vasan said the statistical system would need to provide a reliable database for estimating the incidence of poverty in different regions.

The National Statistical Commission Chairman, Prof S.D. Tendulkar said the collection of Statistics Act was being amended to bring even the socio-economic survey under the ambit of the legislation.

He also said that a comprehensive survey on education was being carried out after a gap of over 10 years. The survey would contribute significantly to understanding the country's education scenario.

The Chief Statistician of India, Dr Pronab Sen, said the era of liberalisation has ushered in significant structural changes in the economy that need to be captured by the statistical system. The consequent changes in the role and responsibility of NSS in meeting these demands are pertinent, he said.