The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has published the Compendium of Datasets and Registries in India, 2024.

It is a key initiative aimed at strengthening data accessibility and informed decision-making.

What is the purpose of this compendium?

• Designed as a dynamic document, the ‘Compendium of Datasets and Registries in India’ is periodically updated to incorporate new datasets, evolving methodologies, and revised policies, ensuring stakeholders always have access to the most current and relevant information.

• This compendium ensures that government data is easily accessible for policymakers, researchers, academicians, students, analysts, businesses, and the general public.

• This comprehensive resource consolidates metadata for approximately 270 datasets and registries sourced from 40 ministries and departments of the government of India, covering sectors such as agriculture, health, education, labor, rural development, tourism, social justice, banking, and more. 

• By serving as a one-stop reference, the compendium enables users to explore the availability, scope, and accessibility of government datasets effortlessly.

Monitoring statistics in India

• Statistics is under the Concurrent list of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, and the Indian statistical system is laterally decentralised among the ministries of the government of India at central level, and vertically decentralized between the Centre and states.

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) came into existence as an independent ministry on October 15, 1999 after the merger of the Department of Statistics and the Department of Programme Implementation. 

The Ministry has two wings:

i) Statistics

ii) Programme Implementation. 

The Statistics Wing called the National Statistical Office (NSO) consists of:

a) Central Statistics Office (CSO)

b) National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

The Programme Implementation wing has three Divisions:

a) Twenty Point Programme (TPP)

b) Infrastructure and Project Monitoring (IPM)

c) Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

• Besides, there is National Statistical Commission (NSC) created through a resolution of the government and one autonomous institute — Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), which was declared as an institute of national importance by an Act of Parliament.

National Statistical Office

• The National Statistics Office (NSO) coordinates the statistical activities in the country and evolves statistical standards. 

• NSO brings out important economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Index of Industrial Product (IIP), Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other official statistics to support Government decision making and framing of appropriate socio-economic policies/programmes. 

• The NSO has a vast network of field offices spread across the length and breadth of the country for conducting nationwide large scale socio-economic surveys on a regular basis for providing insight into various facets of economy and society at large. 

• Being the nodal agency in the country for official statistics, the NSO coordinates statistical activities amongst ministries/departments of the Centre as well as with the state/UT governments.

• The National Accounts Division (NAD) of the NSO is responsible for preparation of National Accounts, which include the estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), National Income, Government/Private Final Consumption Expenditure, Capital Formation and Savings along with details of transactions of institutional sectors. 

The NSO is mandated with the following responsibilities:

i) To act as the nodal agency for planned development of the statistical system in the country.

ii) To formulate and maintain norms and standards related to statistics.

iii) To coordinate the statistical work in respect of central ministries/departments and State Directorate of Economics & Statistics (DESs)

iv) To prepare and publish National Accounts Statistics, namely, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE), Capital Formation, savings, etc.

v) To compile and release Consumer Price Index (CPI) Numbers and Annual Inflation rates based on these CPI numbers.

vi) To compile and release the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) every month.

vii) To conduct large scale all-India socio-economic sample surveys.

viii) To conduct the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI).

ix) To conduct other surveys like price collection surveys, agriculture area enumeration and crop cutting experiments, urban frame surveys etc.

(x) To conduct periodic all-India Economic Censuses and follow-up enterprise surveys.

xi) To maintain liaison with international statistical organisations, such as the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD), ESCAP, the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), etc.

xii) To bring out reports as per the international/regional commitments such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India Country Report and SAARC Development Goals India Country Report.

National Statistical Commission

• The setting up of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) followed the decision of the Cabinet to accept a recommendation of the Rangarajan Commission, which reviewed the Indian Statistical System in 2001. 

• The NSC was initially constituted on July 12, 2006 and it has been functioning since then.

• The NSC has a part-time chairperson and four part-time members, each having specialisation and experience in specified statistical fields. Also, the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog is the ex-officio member of the NSC. The maximum tenure of a part-time chairperson/member is three years. 

• The Chief Statistician of India, the post created specifically as the head of the National Statistical Office is the secretary of the Commission. He is also the secretary to the government of India in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

• The NSC is mandated to evolve policies, priorities and standards in statistical matters and provides technical advice to monitor/enforce statistical priorities and standards pertaining to the national statistical system. 

• The main functions of the Commission is to evolve strategies for improving the statistical system of the country, besides serving as a nodal and empowered body for all core statistical activities of the country and evolving, monitoring and enforcing statistical priorities and standards.

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