Context: The government has renamed and expanded the scope of coverage of the Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES), which was formed in December 2019.

• It will now be called the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) and its renewed objective is to review the existing data framework and address issues related to all surveys.

About Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS)

• The SCoS is mandated with enhanced terms of reference to ensure more coverage in comparison to the SCES.

• The committee has 10 official members, and 4 non-official members who are eminent academics.

• The panel can have up to 16 members, as per the order issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

• The panel will help finalise survey results and National Statistical Commission (NSC) will have the ultimate authority to approve the publication of those results.

• The National Statistical Commission (NSC) of India is an autonomous body which formed in 2000 under the recommendation of Rangarajan Commission.

• The objective of its constitution is to reduce the problems faced by statistical agencies in the country in relation to collection of data.

SCoS terms of reference

• The SCoS’ terms of reference include the identification of data gaps that need to be filled by official statistics, along with an appropriate strategy to plug those gaps.

• Address issues raised from time to time on the subject, results and methodology for all surveys.

• It has been mandated to explore the use of administrative statistics to improve data outcomes.

About the Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES)

• The SCES had 28 members, including 10 non-official members.

• The panel was mandated to review the framework for economic indicators pertaining to the industrial sector, the services sector and the labour force statistics.

• Their purview was limited to datasets like the Periodic Labour Force Survey, the Annual Survey of Industries, the Index of Industrial Production and the Economic Census.

The Statistical set-up of the Government of India

• The MoSPI came into existence as an Independent Ministry in 1999 after the merger of the Department of Statistics and the Department of Programme Implementation.

• The Ministry has two wings, one relating to Statistics and the other Programme Implementation.

• The Statistics Wing called the NSO consists of the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the Computer center and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

• Besides these two wings, there is National Statistical Commission (NSC was created through a resolution) and one autonomous Institute - Indian Statistical Institute - an institute of National importance.

NSO is Mandated with the Following Responsibilities

• Acts as the nodal agency for planned development of the statistical system in the country.

• Coordinates the statistical work in respect of the Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.

• Prepares national accounts as well as publishes annual estimates of national product.

• Maintains liaison with international statistical organisations, such as the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD), Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), IMF, ADB, FAO, ILO, etc.

• Compiles and releases the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) every month in the form of ‘quick estimates’.

• Conducts the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI).

• Provides statistical information to assess and evaluate the changes in the growth, composition and structure of the organised manufacturing sector.

• Organises and conducts periodic all-India Economic Censuses and follow-up enterprise surveys.