Recently, there has been a spate of writing on India’s statistical system and the data produced by it. The ensuing debate has witnessed active participation from within and outside the government. While discussions on data and its veracity are welcome, the important point on the usefulness of available data to measure social and economic progress of a transforming economy looms large. The debate has also to be seen in the context of the increasing global prominence of the economy and India’s election to the highest statistical body of the UN for a four-year term.
Economic and social data ideally is a public good. Its provision, like many other public goods, is the responsibility of the government. While there are numerous private data-generating and publishing entities, they exclude data consumers through their pricing and restrictive access policies. Anticipating this, independent India planned for a well-designed statistical system and embarked on the journey of setting it up at both at the Centre and in the States. As noted by journalist Pramit Bhattacharya in a paper, “India’s statistical system was the envy of the world till the early 1970s”. However, over time, this saw a steady decline and has reached its present state, which is the subject of the current debate.
